


Take Me Into Your Wild Heart

by V3NU5_R0S3



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Not Canon Compliant, Physical Abuse, Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra)'s A+ Parenting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:01:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28355865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/V3NU5_R0S3/pseuds/V3NU5_R0S3
Summary: An AU of She-Ra if Catra had run away from the Horde, leaving Adora behind. The Whispering Woods guide her to the library, where she's adopted into George & Lance's family. For five years, her life is peaceful and uncomplicated as she learns to cope with her trauma and dives into research on her people. When an overzealous Glimmer is convinced that Bow's gone missing, she brings Catra and Adora back together in a heart-wrenching reunion. (Title is from the Bleachers Song)
Relationships: Adora & Bow & Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Bow (She-Ra), Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow & Catra (She-Ra), Bow & George & Lance (She-Ra)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 144





	1. The Escape

She is just thirteen years old when she decides that this night will be the last night Shadow Weaver ever hurts her. Her body shakes, remnants of the witch’s dark magic snaking up her arms as she struggles to get into bed. Adora is asleep already, and Catra knows that she has to go now, before she looks into her best friend's beautiful blue eyes and is convinced to stay. She wants to wake her. Gods, she needs to wake her, she doesn’t know what she’d do without Adora, but she knows in her heart that Adora would never go with her. She’s too loyal, too forgiving, too blind to the evils of the Horde to ever leave. Shadow Weaver’s voice rings through her skull, reminding her that she has never been worthy of Adora’s affections. Catra sets her jaw and hugs her best friend, the only family she has ever known, one last time. Then, indulgently, she allows herself to drop a feather-light kiss on her cheek, refusing to let herself cry. Carefully, she slips out of the barracks, using her small size and superior vision to creep out of the Fright Zone, making a mad dash for the Whispering Woods when she’s finally out. She knew whatever horrors awaited her in this forest of ancient magic would pale in comparison to what she had faced as a ward of Shadow Weaver. And so she ran, as fast and as far as her legs could take her, eventually collapsing in a small clearing, asleep before she even hit the ground. 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

As the morning alarm blared, a young Adora shot up, overwhelmed with the feelings of something wrong in her heart. Frantically, she rubbed her sleep clouded eyes and searched for the familiar silhouette of Catra at her feet. When she wasn’t there, Adora climbed up to the bunk above and was met with an untouched bed. As she stood, perplexed, the events of last night came rushing back to her. Catra had beaten her score in a training session. Adora had been thrilled for her best friend, hugging and congratulating her for the well-deserved win. Shadow Weaver had loomed over them, and Adora recalled the heart-wrenching fear in Catra’s eyes as she was dragged away to the black garnet chamber. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep waiting, and in fact had spent half the night pinching her arms so she could stay awake. Eventually, she had been stolen away to a dreamless sleep, her efforts failing. Shadow Weaver must have had her in there for hours, perhaps she even still had her there. Adora barely took the time to get into uniform, leaving her hair swinging loosely around her shoulders. She fled the barracks, consumed with fear as she practically flew to the black garnet chamber. She burst into the room, finding it empty of even Shadow Weaver. Turning on her heel, Adora sprinted through the Fright Zone, checking all of Catra’s hiding spots as a pit grew in her stomach. Distantly, the alarm signalling the beginning of the first training session went off, but Adora ignored it. As she exhausted Catra’s hiding spots, she began to panic at another thought - Catra had abandoned her. Finally, she ended up in the last place she knew to check, the balcony that jutted out, overlooking the Fright Zone. She and Catra would often come here and fantasize about ruling the world together, side by side. No more Shadow Weaver, no more Hordak, just Catra and Adora at the top of the world. The fond memory shattered as she reached the balcony and realized it was empty. She knew if Catra wasn’t here, she was well and truly gone. Maybe dead, maybe escaped, she had no way of knowing. She knew Shadow Weaver would only tell her that she was better off without Catra. She let out a strangled sob as reality hit her. Catra was gone, and she was never coming back. She should have seen this coming. She had seen the signs, hadn’t she? The fear in Catra’s eyes, the bruises, the lightning shaped scars that snaked around her body. She had noticed, and what had she done? Told Catra to behave better. In that instant, the weight of the world crashed down upon her slim shoulders as she realized this was all her fault. She wailed, loudly and without caution, curling into herself as she sobbed, knowing that she had lost her family, her best friend, and it was her own doing. 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Catra awoke a world away, head laid on a bed of moss settled next to a beautiful stream that cut through the clearing. Shrugging off sleep, she contemplated her surroundings. It was almost as if the woods had led her to this place. Standing up and dusting herself off, she realized just how hungry she was. At the edges of the clearing, she noticed bushes drooping under the weight of plump, juicy-looking berries. Catra recalled her lessons on survival in the Horde, recognizing the fruit as blackberries. She sighed in relief as she recognized they were edible and set about gathering them, careful to avoid the thorns of the bushes. She felt herself relaxing for the first time in thirteen years as the sunlight hit her face and warm, sweet berries burst with flavor in her mouth. This was the first time in her life she had eaten anything other than a ration bar, and she sighed in delight. Her stomach grumbled loudly as she struggled to recall the last time she had even been allowed a ration bar, instead relying on Adora saving hers to share. Adora. The name sent a twinge of regret through her young frame. Catra knew if Adora had done this to her, just left her alone in the Horde without so much as a goodbye, she would have died. She knew that Adora was stronger than her, and had other friends she could rely on, but she knew deep down that Adora was dying missing her, despite how much she tried to rationalize it to herself. She wished there was a way to tell her she was safe, or at least alive, but Catra couldn’t risk her newfound freedom, not even for Adora. Stomach full and heart heavy, Catra bent down and drank all she could from the stream before leaving the clearing, hoping the woods would guide her as they had before, and praying they would lead her to a place where she would be safe from the war. 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Adora’s eyes snapped open as she took in her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was the balcony, and she was overwhelmed with a deep sadness as she recalled that Catra was gone. She must have cried herself to sleep. Imagine that, the Horde’s most promising junior cadet crying herself to sleep in the middle of a training day. Shaking her head to clear it from the fog, she realized she was in the black garnet chamber, her arms restrained behind her back. Her heart sank with dread as she realized that she was here to take Catra’s place, Shadow Weaver looming over her, unreadable eyes narrowed to slits as her hair floated menacingly around her. Adora braced herself for the impact she knew was coming, then screamed as her body was overwhelmed by blasts of magic. Her entire being felt like it was on fire, her limbs screaming in pain as she struggled to right herself. She knew this was her punishment for skipping lessons, and she tried to take it on the chin. She tried to be strong, to hold onto the hope that Catra was alive out there, but in the end the magic overtook her and she fell unconscious. She woke again, this time to Lonnie shaking her awake as Rogelio and Kyle looked on with worried faces. She struggled to sit up, crying out in agony as her arms failed to support her. Lonnie grabbed her gently, as if she were afraid she might break. 

“What happened?” Lonnie whispered, voice barely audible but still dripping with worry. 

The stress of the day slammed into Adora all over again, and between sobs she choked out “Catra’s gone.” The other members of her squad all shared a look as dread settled into their collective hearts, knowing things would never be the same. 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Catra had been walking for hours when the bushes began thinning out, forming a clearing around a massive pale pink building. Underneath thick layers of vines, it was ornate and elegant. It towered above her, the roof just barely below the cover of trees. Columns lined the outside of the building, and in the center was a large wooden door, decorated with an unfamiliar symbol. Catra prowled around the edge of clearing, investigating the building from all sides. Entranced as she was by this mystery, she was completely startled from her thoughts by the sound of a throat clearing. 

She whipped her head around to the source of the noise, heterochromatic eyes landing on a boy about her age staring at her, eyes widened in shock at the sight of an intruder. He stood awkwardly in a half-hearted defensive stance, clearly more curious than wary. Catra knew she could take him, but she was just so tired of fighting. As her posture relaxed, his eyes softened and he held out a hand. “I’m Bow.”

Catra took it gingerly, mind racing for a name. “Kit.”


	2. Growing Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of flashes throughout Catra and Adora's lives growing up apart following Catra's desertion and leading up to Adora finding the sword. Major TW for all of the flashes in Adora's perspective for abuse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter Two! Chapters are probably gonna be about this length or longer going forward! I hope you enjoy!

Adora stood in the shower, letting the warm water run over her aching body. It was late, and so she was alone in the communal showers, overwhelmed by the massive empty space. She mused that perhaps this was why Shadow Weaver always kept her for so long - there was no one there to witness the evidence of her corrective sessions. Today’s had been for skipping a training session to sit up on the balcony that Catra had loved so much. It had been a year since her disappearance, and Adora had found her strength wavering as she was bombarded by painful reminders that a piece of her was missing. Relieved for once at the fact she was alone, she finally let the tears fall. The solace of having a good cry was almost overwhelming. She had kept a tight lid on her emotions the whole day, and having the space to feel was everything to this girl who had nothing. 

Forcing herself to bottle everything back up as she finished weeping, Adora robotically lathered shampoo into her long hair and let the water rinse it out. She began washing her body and almost immediately winced as her washcloth scrubbed over a particularly raw scar that snaked like lightning up her shoulder and neck. Shadow Weaver’s use of the black garnet in punishments was akin to electrocution, and the scars it left behind would almost be beautiful, but for Adora only served as painful reminders of torture and abuse. She had taken to wearing undershirts that stopped just at her chin, covering the marks her body had been adorned with. She couldn’t bear the thought of others seeing these signs of her own weakness. 

She was constantly reminded of her failings, but without Catra she just couldn’t bring herself to care. Shadow Weaver had told her that she was dead, found and killed for desertion immediately. Adora refused to believe it. The hope of Catra being okay somewhere kept her alive, gave her a reason to keep fighting. She longed to go after her, to find her and make a new home where they could be safe together. When they were very young, she had promised that she would always protect her. Where had she gone so wrong? Truthfully, the only reason she hadn’t yet left to go after her best friend was her team. When Adora faded in the wake of Catra’s loss, Lonnie had stepped up to become a strong leader to their little family. Adora supposed that she had ironically become the Catra of the group, long past losing the role of golden child she had once held so dear. She knew her presence was key in keeping Kyle from the Black Garnet Chamber. He had never really excelled in training, and Shadow Weaver would be all too eager to add a new victim to her correction sessions. 

Adora finished in the shower and towelled off, pulling on a concealing pair of pajamas. As she fell back into a thankfully dreamless sleep, she only prayed that one day she might find Catra.

……………….…………………………………………...………………………………………………

Catra wiped sweat off of her bow as she completed her training sequence. Escaping from the Horde meant she didn’t have to train to fight, but she still loved improving her agility, practically flying around the Whispering Woods as she climbed and leapt from tree to tree. Settling on a branch, she peered into the clearing below her, spotting a glint of gold. Eyes sparkling with mischief, she leapt from the branch, landing smoothly on her adoptive brother’s shoulders. “Hey Bow, whatcha doing?” She asked, flipping gracefully onto the ground. 

Bow shrieked and clutched at his chest, causing Catra to cackle at the sight. It had been a year since her escape, and in that time she had felt herself becoming lighter. George and Lance had taken her in without question, making her the 14th sibling and 1st daughter. 

Calming down from his small heart attack, Bow hurriedly hid something behind his back. “N-Nothing!” He sputtered out, face turning red at being caught. Before he could register what was happening, Catra had leapt behind him, plucking the quiver from his hand. 

Catra’s eyes grew wide with excitement as she waved her tail. “Teach me!”

Taken aback by her enthusiasm, Bow grinned at his little sister. “Fine, Kit, but you can’t tell our dads okay? It has to be a secret.” He pulled out his bow. “I’ll make you your own soon, but today you can practice with mine.” He took off his bracer and gently wrapped it around her arm. He demonstrated how to notch an arrow and passed the bow back to Catra, who breathed steadily and aimed at the tree trunk Bow pointed out. The arrow flew through the air and landed on the ground about 5 feet left of her mark. She sighed in frustration but steadfastly notched another arrow and took aim again. She stayed there with Bow for hours, practicing her technique and getting used to the feel of the bow in her hands. 

When she collapsed into bed that night, Catra’s smile remained on her face as she drifted off to sleep just as soundly as she had for the past year. 

……………….…………………………………………...…………………………………………………

Adora howled in pain as electricity coursed through her veins. “You know Adora, I had such high hopes for you once,” Shadow Weaver rasped, “But you’ve fallen so far… you’ll never be anything other than a disappointment.” Adora sobbed silently, the days of trying to keep her face passive long gone. Shadow Weaver continued “I should have put that mongrel down long ago, I can see now that all she did was make you weak.” She spat the last word at Adora. It was always worse when she talked during their sessions. Adora could do her best to handle the physical abuse, but just a mention of Catra weakened her beyond belief. 

Her head snapped up at the cutting remark. “Don’t call her that,” she growled, bracing herself for impact. Retribution came, swift and without mercy, and her scream reverberated around the black garnet chamber. She knew it was foolish, defending someone that was gone at the cost of her own health, but it was Catra. She’d go to the grave for her. One day, when she knew her team would be safe, she would get out of here and find her. In the two years since she had gone, Adora had felt only emptiness, as if Catra had taken some sacred, essential piece of her when she left. There were days when the numbness faded and she was filled with rage towards Catra. She had abandoned her, after all. She did her best to rein her resentment in, remembering that she had let Catra down first, allowing this treatment to happen for Gods know how long. 

Shadow Weaver finally released her and she collapsed to the ground, scrambling to right herself and get out. She ran out the door, slowing to her established stiff, pained walk as she slunk back the barracks. As she collapsed through the door, Rogelio held her up, wrapping his arm and tail around her body to balance her. This had become routine for them. Adora wasn’t sure if Shadow Weaver’s wrath had increased since Catra’s disappearance, or if Catra had just been better than she was at hiding and handling her pain. Rogelio guided her to her bunk and helped her lay down, asking a question she had come to understand in his distinct, guttural language. “Just magic tonight, I don’t need any help bandaging” She rewarded him with a weak smile and a grab of his hand. Tomorrow, she promised herself, tomorrow would be better. 

……………….…………………………………………...…………………………………………………

Catra looked up from the book she had been perusing at the sound of her name. Bow stood outside her bedroom door smiling. “I thought we could get in one last practice before I leave for the Academy of Historic Enterprises?”

Catra grinned and rolled her eyes. There was no way at all that the academy was real, but the lie satiated George and Lance, and if she let on that she knew to Bow, he’d absolutely slip up almost immediately after. Standing up, she stretched and sauntered over to her bed, pulling her own bow and quiver from underneath. “Let’s go, Arrow Boy”

Bow chuckled at the affectionate nickname and pushed on her shoulder, and Catra shoved right back, if a little rougher than Bow’s push. It came easily, this sibling thing, or maybe Bow just made it easy. Whatever it was, she knew she’d miss him terribly when he went off to the “academy.” In her gut, she knew he was going off to fight for the rebellion. She wanted to scream and cry and beg him to stay here, where he was safe. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing anyone else she cared for. She knew it was selfish, asking Bow to leave behind what he was passionate enough to lay down his life for, and so she kept silent, plastering on a grin as she notched an arrow. 

That night, they’d have a quiet family dinner, just her, Bow, George and Lance. The other twelve siblings were scattered around Etheria, neck deep in various research projects. They often sent letters and artifacts back to the library. Catra loved poring over them, learning more about the planet she had grown up on but never truly seen. The next morning, they’d all give their teary goodbyes as they sent Bow off, George and Lance barely holding together over how proud they were, demanding that he write them. As he left through the Whispering Woods, he’d turn around and wave goodbye before disappearing among the trees, walking, no doubt, in the direction of Bright Moon. Catra almost wanted to ask to go with him. She’d been hiding in the ancient forest for two years now, and she was getting antsy to see the world. When she first ran away, she had made a promise to herself that she intended to honor - she would never fight in this war. George and Lance were all too happy to support that goal, though she’d never divulged her reasoning to them. As far as they knew, she was an orphan, an all too familiar product of war, not an abused and traumatized killing machine. If she could help it, she’d never tell them the truth. She couldn’t take the pity in their eyes if she ever did. 

……………….…………………………………………...…………………………………………………

Adora lay in her bunk, staring at that old drawing scratched into the wall. She remembered her and Catra carving it into the wall like it was yesterday. They had pricked their pinky fingers with a needle and made a promise to be best friends forever, and then Catra had used her claws to carve a permanent mark of their friendship into the wall. Looking back, it was one of her fondest memories, and staring at those faces filled her with a soft sort of melancholy. She wished she could go back in time and protect Catra better, or even run off with her to a new life. It didn’t do her any good to think of the what-ifs. She was here now, in an aching, never fully healed body. She was barely tethered to the Horde, held only by her bonds to the rest of her team. They had always been there for her, and she promised herself that she’d always be there for them, making up for where she had failed Catra so miserably. She knew that she didn’t deserve their care or love. 

She stayed behind to protect them. She loved them deeply, they had always been her family. Lately though, she was just so tired. Tired of the abuse, the looks in her team's eyes when she could barely get into bed, the sleepless nights as she struggled to find comfort in her abused body. She fantasized more often about escape. Some nights she’d dream of stealing a skiff and finding Catra, finally going home. Tonight was darker. Shadow Weaver’s voice rattled through her head, reminding her of how utterly worthless and alone she was. Why was she even staying alive? To protect her squad? They didn’t need her anymore. In fact, they’d probably be better off without her, wouldn’t they? She was just dragging them down at this point. Adora wished that Shadow Weaver would just kill her already, though she supposed that she might just not be worth the paperwork. She wasn’t sure that she was worth much of anything, anymore. She closed her eyes and let silent tears fall. She didn’t bother anymore with promising that herself the next day would be better - what would be the point in lying? Instead, she let herself fade into sleep and prayed not to dream. 

……………….…………………………………………...…………………………………………………

Catra, at this point, had read and reread every book in the library that even mentioned Magicats at least three times. Today, she could barely finish a sentence. Bow was coming home on break from the ‘Academy of Historic Enterprises’ today, and her body vibrated with excitement. She liked to follow a routine on these days. She always gave Bow a couple hours alone with George and Lance. Though they loved her, she still felt like she was encroaching on family time around them, and so she did what she could to give them their fathers-son time. Today, she’d stowed away in some hidden nook in the northwest corner of the library, tail flicking lazily from her impossibly high perch. Doing her best to focus, she turned her eyes towards her favorite book, a gift from George and Lance when she’d first joined their family. It was a tome of Magicat stories and folklore. It made her feel connected to her people, though she was sure that she was the last of them alive. It was the gift of this book that had really helped her to trust Bow’s fathers three years ago. In the Horde, the only person who had gifted her anything was Adora. She knew it was an act of love and care, to give a person a gift. Catra hadn’t even known what she was until she had received this book. She had always just been an animal, Adora’s little pet, and no one found her worth the time to teach her about her history. But now, here in George and Lance’s library, she was a Magicat, a daughter, and a sister to 13 older brothers that popped in and out. She had found a place that could be hers, though she desperately missed the person who would make that place home. Now, free from the Horde’s grasp, she could freely admit that to herself. Adora had been her home, and some part of her was sure that Adora always would be, as much as she hated herself for it. 

Pulled from her ruminations by her grumbling stomach, Catra realized that it was coming up on lunchtime and she had yet to see Bow. She jumped from her perch and landed gracefully, a trick that never failed to amaze her family here. She gently placed her book in it’s spot of reverence in her room, and ran down the hallway to the kitchen, guided by the enticing smell of Lance’s cooking. Luckily for her, Bow had his back turned, and she was able to grab him from behind, earning the reward of a shrill scream. 

“Hey, big brother,” She smiled, pleased with herself. “How goes it at the Academy?”

Bow shoved her good-naturedly in response, fighting back a smile at the sight of his sister in an effort to feign irritation. “Good! Dads said you were doing research, how’s that going?”

Catra only sighed in response. She had hit dead end after dead end in her efforts to find where Magicats had once resided. She supposed that part of it was her reluctance to leave the Whispering Woods, but there had to be something in her texts she was missing as well. 

“That well, huh?” Bow snorted, “Wanna head out on a walk and talk about it later, try to clear your mental block?”

Catra knew that going off on a walk was absolutely code for ‘look at Bow’s new trick arrows he came up with’ and she grinned with excitement “Absolutely.”

Bow smiled back, just as wide, before they sat down to a family lunch. 

After an hour filled with George’s dreadful puns and Lance’s divine cooking, she and Bow ventured out to their spot in the woods. Catra gracefully climbed into the tree where she had hidden her own bow and arrows in anticipation of Bow’s visit while he grabbed his set from the hiding spot he’d made in the shrubbery surrounding the library. It was nice, this easy, comfortable silence they’d established over the past three years. Catra jumped down from the tree, eager to see Bow’s latest creation. 

He pulled an arrow out of his quiver and notched it. “This is a net arrow! I put these nets in it, and well…” He shot the arrow at a nearby bush which became enclosed in a net on impact. “That!”

Catra smiled at Bow nerding out. “Let me try!” He handed her an arrow and, laughing, Catra shot it at him, trapping him in a net. 

“Ow! Kit!” Bow struggled out of the net, causing Catra to nearly fall over laughing. She steadied herself on a nearby tree, and Bow only smiled and shook his head. As happy as he’d been fighting in the rebellion alongside Glimmer, he’d missed his sister and first best friend dearly. The rest of the afternoon passed in this manner as they caught up, Bow dancing around Catra’s questions about the academy, and Catra dancing around his about her struggling research. As the sunlight faded, they packed up their quivers and headed off in their separate directions. Catra back home, and Bow back off to the Academy. 

……………….…………………………………………...…………………………………………………

Adora stood nervously, fidgeting between Lonnie and Kyle. The time had come for their squad to be promoted up to senior cadets. Today, they became Horde Squadron Delta Xi. She had done everything she could to be as perfect as possible. Her hair was in a tight, regulation ponytail with not a hair out of place, and her uniform was crisp and freshly laundered. She stood at attention while Octavia inspected them, Shadow Weaver supervising from the back of the room. She did her best to keep from shaking in fear at her presence. Adora was hoping, praying, that she would be good enough to get away without any corrections today. She had been trying, really trying these past two years to be good enough for Shadow Weaver, but it felt like nothing she did met her ever-increasing standards. 

Octavia finished her inspection, snarling one last time Adora. She winced, knowing that Shadow Weaver undoubtedly noticed. Octavia had hated Adora for years. It was difficult to look back on that memory with fondness, knowing now how dearly it would cost her, but it had been such a lovely memory, the sound of Catra’s laughter echoing in the hall as they ran hand in hand. Her hand was clasped by another’s now. Lonnie, sensing her panic at the close of their inspection had grabbed on. It didn’t matter. She knew as well as Adora did what was coming next. Still, she appreciated the efforts at comfort, between the tentative grip and the grimace that was clearly meant to be a reassuring smile. Adora smiled back, certain hers was equally strained. She flinched away from the contact, snapping back to attention when Shadow Weaver called her name. “Adora! Come to my chamber at 1900 sharp. Don’t be late.” Adora could only nod meekly in response, not daring to make eye contact with her tormentor. She knew all too well what was coming. 

The rest of the day passed with a pit of dread in her stomach as 1900 loomed closer. Adora paced nervously on Catra’s balcony, too stressed to enjoy the refreshing breeze of cool air on her face. It was always worse when she had to wait. The anticipation built up inside of her until she became a well of anxiety. She theorized that this is where Shadow Weaver got off the most, on the energy of her emotional dread. Of course she knew the only reason Adora even stayed in the Horde was to protect her team. Sometimes, she’d pile it on, reminding Adora that her presence in the Black Garnet Chamber kept the other cadets safe. Adora knew this was her solemn duty, her burden to bear. She’d never be able to give it up. 

That night, she struggled back to the barracks and was greeted by Lonnie. She offered a weakened smile and a “Hey” before collapsing into her bunk. 

Lonnie peeled off her shirt and let out a low whistle. “Gods, Adora. This is the worst I’ve seen it.”

“And just think, this is after she used her magic to make sure I wouldn’t die.” Adora shot back, knowing that her feeble attempt at a joke was far from funny. 

Lonnie caught her tone and responded with “I’d hate to see the other guy” Adora let out a soft giggle in response, followed by a pained gasp as Lonnie did her best to gently apply the antibiotic cream to her back. 

Tonight had been lashes, a punishment for making Shadow Weaver look bad in front of Octavia. The insubordination of calling Octavia a “dumb-face” was ten years in the past by now, but of course that didn’t matter. Octavia had been displeased with her, and she had paid the price. Adora shifted up onto her elbows at Lonnie’s signal, allowing her friend to wrap the bandages around her torso. When she finished Adora struggled into a sitting position and grasped Lonnie’s hand in hers. “Thank you,” she whispered, knowing that she could never truly, properly thank the girl for all that she had done for her. 

……………….…………………………………………...…………………………………………………

Catra leapt gracefully into the next tree, curling her tail around the trunk to steady herself. She was taking a much needed break from her research, allowing the woods to take her where they wanted. She knew when she was ready, they’d guide her back home. Four years, and having a place to call home was still so unfamiliar to her. She was grateful, immensely so, that the woods had brought her to George and Lance, to Bow and 12 other brothers who’d come visit and ruffle her hair as if she had grown up with them. She felt safe there, protected. Catra smiled and climbed higher in the tree, coming to rest just above the canopy of the woods, gazing out at the setting sun. It was moments like these when she felt truly at peace. She was violently pulled from her silent reverie at an all too familiar mechanical sound. It was a Horde skiff. They never came this close to the Whispering Woods. She clambered back down below the tree line and followed the source of the noise, careful to stay well hidden. 

As she neared the skiff, she sent a gentle prayer to the forest, asking for their protection. She used the network of branches to follow, eventually able to stay directly on top of the skiff. When she was finally able to visualize the crew, her heart skipped a beat. It was her old team from the Horde, 4 years older. They were all laughing and joking together. It looked like they were celebrating something. Lonnie was piloting the skiff, her hair pulled back into a neat regulation ponytail. Kyle and Rogelio sat together, opposite Adora, whose hair hung long and loose down her back. Catra smiled at the sight of her best friend, carefree and happy. She wanted to reach out and touch her, let her know she was alive and okay. Catra leapt carefully from branch to branch, not allowing herself to fall behind the skiff. Suddenly, she was falling, and she let out a yelp of surprise. She struck her arm out and grabbed a branch, pulling herself back up. Her heart was racing in her chest at the fear of being found. She was frozen to the branch, incapable of moving, until a familiar shout pulled her out of her panic. Adora was falling. As she ran towards the source she was overwhelmed by a brilliant flash of light. At this, she picked up her pace until she spotted Adora unconscious below her. She jumped down from the treetops and dashed towards her old friend. Up close, she could see how tired Adora looked, and she felt a twinge of guilt run through her. Grabbing Adora’s wrist, she checked for a pulse and watched the rise and fall of her chest to make sure she was breathing evenly. Satisfied that Adora was okay, she contented herself to caress her friend’s cheek. Maybe she would wake up and Catra could take her home. She’d love George and Lance, and Catra was sure that she and Bow would be fast friends. The bliss of her fantasy was ripped apart by the sound of the skiff nearing as her old squad returned for Adora. Indulgently, she softly pressed her lips Adora’s forehead, whispering a small prayer to whoever was out there to keep her safe. At that she leapt back into the tree tops and watched from afar as Rogelio carried Adora up into the skiff and as Kyle gently woke her. Reassured that she was once again safe, Catra took a second to steady herself before heading home, climbing quickly out of sight and into safety. 

Safely in her room, she collapsed onto the bed, finally allowing herself to react. Adora was alive and okay. Her squad was alive and okay. For years, she had carried the weight of leaving Adora behind, but seeing her happy and thriving, surrounded by friends helped ease her mind. Her heart broke, though, at the thought of Adora still being that perfect little Horde soldier.

She’d always had a fantasy that one day Adora would come after her, and she’d finally be able to be with her, without fear. Instead, she now had to fear Adora coming for her to punish her for desertion. It was a stupid fantasy after all, and Adora had clearly forgotten her, as well she should have. She was always going to be better off without her, and Catra cursed herself for ever being foolish enough to hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Right now, my plan is to update every week, so stay tuned for a new chapter next Friday!


	3. The Sword

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora finds the sword and a new family along the way!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 3! I'm super excited for it! There is also some dialogue from The Sword & The Sword Part Two throughout. Also TW for the very last paragraph for a panic attack.

Adora and the rest of her team breathed heavily as the training sequence faded around them. Kyle and Rogelio were already putting away their gear together. She smiled at the couple as they worked. Something had shifted recently, though the both of them were too shy to do anything about it. Pulling her hair out of the regulation ponytail, she looked for Lonnie, walking over to join her at the lockers when she spotted her. Keeping her hair long and loose was the one small way she allowed herself to rebel against Shadow Weaver, her way of saying you don’t own me. She thought Catra would have been proud. It hurt less now, to think of her best friend. Understanding why she had to leave had been a big part of it. She never could have known what would happen to Adora after her disappearance. Adora nudged Lonnie with her shoulder in greeting “Great job in training today.”

Lonnie scoffed “It wasn’t all me you know. You were pretty amazing too.”

Adora basked in the praise, tamping down the slight flush of red across her cheeks at her hard work being acknowledged. The growing smile on her face, however, immediately disappeared as a cold chill came over the room. The squadron snapped to attention at Shadow Weaver’s presence. “Lonnie.”

Lonnie saluted and walked to meet Shadow Weaver while the rest of the team watched from the lockers. “Shadow Weaver.”

“You’ve done well. You completed your training course in record time and show great potential for leadership.”

Lonnie blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, you know, I couldn’t do it without my team. And Adora’s been doing really well too!” Adora panicked at the sound of her name, cursing Lonnie for even bringing attention to her. Lucky for her, Shadow Weaver let the remark go mostly unnoticed, only pausing to scoff at Adora’s name. Her greatest disappointment. 

“Hmm. Lonnie, walk with me.” Lonnie shared a look with Adora and ran after Shadow Weaver out of the locker room. 

Adora walked over to Rogelio and Kyle, concern written clearly across her face. “What was that about?” The boys only shrugged in response. They waited together in silence for Lonnie to return, Adora shifting anxiously as the seconds ticked by. 

Finally, Lonnie walked back into the locker room, a look of stunned elation on her face. Noting the confusion and concern at her team’s faces, she broke out into a cheek splitting grin. “I’ve been promoted to Force Captain!” She pointed to the badge affixed firmly to her chest. “We’re going to lead an invasion on the Rebel Fortress of Thaymor tomorrow.” The squad whooped in excitement. 

Adora spoke up “You mean, we’re finally seeing active duty?” Jealousy flashed in her for a brief second. That badge, that promotion, that should have been hers. She was once the golden child, wasn’t she? She should have been the one leading their team into their first mission. Adora forced herself to shake off the feeling, offering Lonnie a genuine, albeit tight, smile. “We have to celebrate!” She squealed, hoping her enthusiasm covered that brief moment of devastation. 

Rogelio muttered something in his guttural language. Kyle translated for him “We’ve never even been outside of the fright zone,” and added his own thoughts “I wonder what’s out there anyways?”

Lonnie smiled, as if she had been expecting the question, and pulled a key from her pocket. “Why don’t we go find out?” 

Rogelio roared in excitement, a clear sign of his approval. Adora sputtered in response, seeming to be the only one not on board with the plan. In her defense, she was also the only one that suffered when plans went south. Even Kyle, who never dared to break the rules, was in, and so Adora, despite her protests, ended up seated on a stolen skiff across from Kyle and Rogelio, with Lonnie steering them towards the Whispering Woods. Adora tightened her grip on the skiff, knuckles turning white as they got closer. They’d all heard the legends. Entire squadrons lost to the woods, never to be seen or heard from again. She knew she was outvoted, and kept her mouth shut, not wanting to be the one who ruined their grand adventure. As they traveled through the woods, they slowed, steering the skiff carefully between the trees. The hold Adora’s panic had on her lightened, and she tuned back into the conversation aboard the skiff to catch the tail end of a joke that Kyle had been telling. She laughed with the rest of the team, feeling a moment of pure joy as she basked in that warm glow of family. 

A sudden, loud yelp from the woods stirred them out of their camaraderie. It sounded almost familiar to Adora, but she brushed the feeling off. She jumped up and grabbed the handle from Lonnie, who had been in the process of turning back. “We have to investigate! What if someone is hurt?”

“We don’t have to do shit! For all we know that was a princess or a rebel scout, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’re not exactly armed!” Lonnie shouted back. 

A struggle for control of the skiff ensued, and suddenly Adora was falling, having been pulled off by a stray vine. She let out a scream as she fell to the forest floor. Her fall was broken by the underbrush, and she counted herself lucky to be free of injuries. She groaned as she sat up, rubbing her head. “Lonnie? Kyle? Rogelio?” Panic rose in Adora as she realized that she was alone in the Whispering Woods, where no Horde Soldier dared to go. She forced herself to take deep, even breaths and began to take stock of her surroundings, when a bright, blue tinted glow to her left drew her attention. 

She gasped as she took in the sight across from her. In the center of the clearing, sparkling in the light, was a large, ornate sword. The golden hilt held a brilliant blue stone in its center, and she reached out to touch it, almost instinctively so. As her fingers grazed the sword, she was enveloped in a blinding flash of light, but found herself unable to pull away, as if her hand had become magnetized to the hilt. A vision she could hardly understand overtook her, and before she could begin to comprehend what it was showing to her, she was out cold on the forest floor. 

As she came to, Adora could have sworn she felt the ghost of a lingering kiss on her forehead. She quickly brushed off the feeling. Who on Etheria would have given her, so undeserving, such a tender kindness? “What… what happened?”

Kyle kneeled above her, looking down with concern. “You fell off the skiff when you and Lonnie were fighting for control” Lonnie, once again at the helm, scoffed. “Are you okay?” 

Adora looked up at her friend and offered a weak smile “I’m fine.” She knew that whatever the sword was, whatever it had shown her, was meant for her and her alone. As the skiff exited the Whispering Woods, she uttered a silent promise to come back. 

That night, she was plagued by images of the sword as the same mysterious voice from her vision called her name. Unable to ignore it anymore, Adora snuck out of the barracks, pulling on her signature red coat. She was going to get to the bottom of this today. She wasn’t followed, the rest of her squadron was sleeping soundly, and the hallways as she made her way out were quiet. She made a promise to herself that she’d be back before morning training, and made her way across the scruffy underbrush that connected the Fright Zone to the Whispering Woods, her path illuminated by the barest hints of the sun rising. She needed to get to the bottom of this. As she walked deeper into the ancient forest, Adora felt her doubt rising. This was ridiculous. She was probably just imagining things. Even if the sword was real, there was no way it was meant for her. She was nothing. She might have been worthy once, a long time ago, but that was no longer. Whatever ‘hero’ Etheria needed to seek, did not lie within her. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by that same blue glow from before, now far brighter. At the sight, she picked up her pace, coming up to the edge of the clearing. She parted the last bit of foliage that stood in her way and took in the brilliance of the sword once more. It had been real. She wasn’t crazy after all. Entranced once again, she was pulled to the sword with that same magnetism. In that moment, she felt that maybe she was actually worthy of wielding this weapon. It chose her, it was connected to her. The sword pulled her closer. Suddenly, she felt that connection, so strong just a moment before, snap at the sound of outside voices. Adora stepped back to the edges of the clearing, ready to flee if necessary. 

As the source of the voices entered, she drew in a deep breath. In front of her was one incredibly sparkly teenager and a dark skinned boy several heads taller. They had to be with the rebellion. They were too sparkly and shiny and, well, happy-looking to have ever known a life in the Horde. The pair sized her up the same way and gasped when they registered the Horde insignia on her belt buckle. The smaller, sparklier one shouted. “Horde soldier!” 

The shiny boy, adorned with … hearts? Shouted back in a cracking voice almost reminiscent of Kyle’s “I see her!” Suddenly the pair of them were just yelling, as if they were hoping volume alone would scare her off. Adora was a soldier, and it was clear as day to her that these people had never so much as seen a training simulation, let alone a battlefield. She was closer to the sword than they were, and so she made a mad dash for the weapon, seeing as she was woefully unarmed without it. Just as she was about to grab the sword, the sparkly girl rematerialized in front of her, stealing it away before she got the chance. Bewildered, Adora made a grab for the girl, only for her hands to hit empty air. She had disappeared again, only to reappear a few feet away. She chucked the sword at her friend, forcing him to drop his weapon. 

Adora ran at the boy, shouting out a demand for the sword when a sudden weight at her back slowed her down. The girl had landed on her shoulders and was attempting to pull her hair. The sheer length and freedom of the strands was making her mission difficult, though Adora winced when she managed to get in a good yank. In a well practiced move, Adora threw the girl off of her, using the momentum to roll forward into a kneel before standing. The girl dealt with, Adora pulled a boleadoras from her pocket and in an expert motion, threw it at the boy, tangling it around his legs and causing him to drop the sword as she fell. Adora smiled to herself, proud she was holding her own, and made a run for the sword. “Stand down. I don’t want to hurt you.” She was telling the truth. She’d been hurt enough times that she had no desire to do it to another human. 

The girl rematerialized in front her, shooting a blast of sparkles into her face. “Since when do Horde soldiers not want to hurt anyone?” 

Adora almost conceded the point. Most of the Horde soldiers she knew were malicious and cruel, often performing gratuitous violence on anyone, including other soldiers they had deemed weaker or less than. She knew that all too well. Overcoming her momentary blindness from the princess’s attack, she neglected to answer and instead tackled the girl. As she turned to grab the sword, the wind was knocked out of her when the boy, having detangled his legs, landed squarely on top of her. She groaned in frustration, but finally, finally was able to make contact with the sword. When she touched the stone, the same blinding light as before took over. Adora blinked a few times, realizing that she was no longer in the Whispering Woods, and the pair she had been fighting had disappeared. 

A steady, emotionless voice cut through her confusion. “Hello, Adora” Standing in front of her was a woman with deep purple skin, draped head to toe in varying hues of the same color. 

Adora scrambled to stand, her blood running cold. “Who are you? What’s going on?”

The woman, still standing peacefully, allowed no emotion to cross her face. She introduced herself to Adora as Light Hope. She had been waiting for Adora for a long time, though Adora couldn’t fathom what would make her do such a thing. She perked up at the mention of the sword, the weapon whose undeniable magnetism had drawn her here in the first place. 

“You sent the sword?” There was obvious trepidation in her voice. 

“The sword is meant for you.” 

Adora struggled to believe that such a thing was true. She had felt a connection to it, an almost inescapable pull the second she had seen it, but had doubted that such a beautiful, powerful weapon could be wielded by someone as unworthy, as broken as she was. The woman’s voice cut through her thoughts as an image of the sword appeared between them. 

“Etheria has need of you, Adora.”

“Etheria… needs me?” The hesitation in her voice betrayed her as she still, inescapably, reached out to the image floating in front of her. The woman seemed to ignore her, continuing her speech. 

“Will you answer it’s call? Will you fight for the honor of Grayskull?”

Adora felt frustration bubble over in her chest. This cryptic woman, those two goons in the woods. She was tired. “What are you talking about? What’s Grayskull?” If this woman wanted her to fight, she’d have to answer some damn questions first. Still, she flinched away from the woman as she snapped the question at her. Had this been Shadow Weaver, she’d have been whisked away and punished mercilessly for her insolence. The woman merely continued to stare at her. Adora pushed harder “What are you talking about? I don’t understand!” 

The woman only blinked. “You will.” She disappeared from view and an overwhelming darkness overtook Adora’s vision. 

Groaning, Adora opened her eyes, adjusting to the light of the forest. She was getting really damn tired of passing out every time she touched the mysterious sword. 

The boy, mere inches from her face, shouted, startling her into a more present state of alertness. “Hey! She’s awake!” 

The girl was on the other side, the same miniscule distance apart. She held the sword in the crook of her elbow and glared at Adora, who came to realize that her hands had been bound while she was unconscious. She kept her voice level, attempting to mask her loud and conflicting thoughts from the duo. “What happened?”

The angry, sparkly girl jabbed her finger in Adora’s face. “Quiet, Horde spy. I ask the questions.” Adora glared back at her, becoming increasingly irritated at this invasion to her personal space. “How did you make it this far into the Whispering Woods?”

Adora stared at the girl, nonplussed. “I just … walked in?” It wasn’t like there was any security or protection around the woods. “And I’m not a spy.” She appealed to the boy, who had been quiet so far during the exchange. He seemed to be the more rational and level-headed between the two. 

The girl stood up, leaning on the sword’s handle. She glared down at Adora, using the height advantage given to her by Adora’s seated position. “Sure, sure. So you just happened to find yourself in the Whispering Woods, like you just so happened to try and steal our sword.”

At this, Adora was annoyed. The sword was hers, it called to her even now. “It’s not yours! I found it first.” She felt like a little kid in this argument, screaming over a stolen toy. 

The girl snapped back. Her tone was seriously starting to get under Adora’s skin. “The Whispering Woods is under the Rebellion’s protection. You were lucky to make it as far as you did.” Adora scoffed. For something under protection, the Woods were incredibly unguarded. These two had been the first people she’d seen, and the only reason they’d gotten the better of her was that this stupid sword seemed insistent on knocking her out every time she tried to touch it. The princess addressed her companion now, still levelling a glare at Adora. “Come on, Bow. Let’s get this spy back to Bright Moon where she can be interrogated properly.”

At that, Adora felt an icy chill in her body, running along the familiar scars left behind by Shadow Weaver’s magic. Shit. She was supposed to be back by now. She couldn’t let Lonnie take the fall for her disappearance. “Wait, no!” The desperation in her voice was palpable. “I have to get back, you don’t understand.” She choked on her rising panic. Her squad needed her. She didn’t know what she’d do if they had gotten hurt because she had been stupid enough to chase down some crazy weird sword. The boy glanced at her, concern obvious in his eyes. 

The girl, who had been whispering to the boy, Bow, she thought his name was, snapped back around. “You should have thought of that before you invaded our woods. Now come on, on your feet.” 

Adora struggled into a standing position, ignoring the help that Bow was offering. She needed to find a way back. The best she could do for now was go along, waiting for a weakness to get out of there. Thinking of her squad in the Fright Zone, with no idea where she had gone, Adora no longer cared whether or not she got out with the sword. As long as she got back to her family, she’d be okay. Her destiny or whatever could wait. She walked between the pair, with the girl, still unnamed, leading the way. Bow walked behind her, though more often than not, she found him beside her. For whatever reason, she trusted him. If she was going to get out of this, she’d have to appeal to this one. 

His gentle voice cut through her thoughts as he addressed his companion. “Are you sure we’re going the right way, Glimmer?” Adora snorted at the name. It was definitely well-suited to the girl, who seemed to run on sparkles. The girl, Glimmer, snapped at Bow, and the pair argued until Glimmer, fed up, disappeared in a cloud of sparkles. 

Bow lifted a sheet of foliage over Adora’s head with care she hadn’t expected from a captor. “Sorry about her. Usually she’s really nice.” He paused at the lack of response. “Not one for talking, huh?”

Adora sniffed at that. She didn’t have anything to say to these people. “I need to get home. I’d prefer not to swap pleasantries while you keep me away from my family.” She pleaded with her eyes, hoping he’d soften to her desperation. 

Bow at least had the good sense to try and hide his surprise at the mention of a family. Before he could respond, Glimmer’s groan cut through their conversation. Adora used the moment to push harder. “You know she’s a princess right? How can you follow her? Princesses are a dangerous threat to everyone on Etheria.” Adora, having fought with the princess just earlier knew that to be far from true, at least for this one. 

Bow leaned against a root sprouting up from the ground, his voice steady and gentle. “Is that what Hordak told you?” 

Adora scoffed. As if Hordak would deign to speak to her. Bow clearly knew nothing about military structure. “I thought it was just common knowledge. Princesses are dangerous instigators that can’t even control their powers.” As if on cue, Glimmer screamed and teleported away. Adora gestured as well as she could with her hands bound. “See?”

Bow’s disbelief was written across his face. He was an open book. “You’ve never actually met a princess… have you?”

The only princesses Adora had met were the menacing holograms of Horde trainings. She knew the Horde was far from perfect, in fact she was a perfect testament to the sheer cruelty of the military organization. She could tell that getting Bow to set her free was quickly becoming a losing battle. “Well, maybe not in person, but…” She trailed off. Since Catra had left, there had been nothing good about the Horde. In fact, they’d only gotten worse. But it didn’t matter. Her family was there, and she had to go back for them. At the sound of sobs, she and Bow snapped to attention. He ran towards the source of the noise, dragging Adora by her bindings. 

They found Glimmer kneeling at the site of a ruin, sobbing. Adora took in the damage with wide eyes. She’d never seen this level of destruction before. “What happened to this place?”

Glimmer whirled around, snapping at Adora. “Don’t you dare play dumb with me. You were probably with the raiding party that did this.” She jabbed her finger in Adora’s face for emphasis, blinking back unshed tears. There was pure wrath in her face, and Adora flinched away on instinct, stumbling backwards into Bow’s arms. 

The meaning of Glimmer’s words solidified in her mind as Adora realized what she was implying. “Did… did the Horde do this?” She already knew the answer. Of course they had. It was what they did to everything they laid hands on. 

Glimmer grabbed the rope binding her hands and dragged Adora to a Horde robot, lying destroyed in the rubble of the village. She simply pointed at the insignia emblazoned on the bot. “You’re a heartless destroyer, just like the rest of your people.” Her voice was rising now, and Adora stumbled back, struggling to catch her footing. 

She didn’t bother to defend the Horde, but she wouldn’t take personal attacks lying down, not from a princess. “I am not a destroyer. I’m not like them, but please, I have to get back. You don’t understand.”

Glimmer shouted, anger vibrating throughout her diminutive frame. “I don’t understand? I don’t understand? Look around you, Horde soldier! This is what your people have done, and you want to go back? What, you didn’t burn enough cities before you got captured?” Glimmer stormed away, face contorted in disgust. 

Adora felt her heart sink. This was never what she wanted. “How could this have happened?”

Bow’s voice rose in disbelief. “How could you not know any of this? Your army is literally called the Evil Horde.” 

When Adora turned to face him, his expression was unreadable. There was such a complex web of emotions here that she could never hope to untangle. She sighed. “The Horde rescued me when I was a baby. They gave me a home and a family. You just don’t know them like I do.” Her words tasted like ash. She had always known, hadn’t she? The Horde was evil. She had ignored the signs to survive, to keep her small, precious family safe. But she’d failed. Catra was gone because of that failure, and Lonnie was a much better leader than she could have ever dreamed to be. She let out a small defeated sigh. 

Bow, as if he could read her inner turmoil, placed a calming hand on her shoulder, his voice somehow still even and gentle, as if she wasn’t the first traumatized child soldier he’d talked down. “Maybe you don’t know them like you think you do.” The statement was simple, but it gave her much to think about. She knew that no matter what, she still had to get home. Lonnie and Kyle and Rogelio all needed her. They were all she had ever known. 

The tender moment was interrupted, yet again, by Glimmer. Her scream echoed through the forest as she ran back towards the pair. “Something is out there! Something big!” She teleported the rest of the distance to Bow and Adora, and the group yelped as the ground beneath them shook with ferocity. 

Bow’s question of “How big?” was answered immediately by a creature bursting up through the ground, screeching. It slammed a leg into the ground, nearly impaling Glimmer, who teleported away at the last second.

Adora struggled in her bound state to regain her balance as the creature charged her. Her foot caught in a fissure that had just erupted, and she slammed back to the ground. As she struggled to free her leg, the creature marched towards her. She stared death in the face and it stared back with large, luminous eyes. As she braced for impact, Bow appeared between her and the monster, expertly shooting an arrow into the creature’s mouth. It exploded on impact into a green, sticky substance, effectively jamming that gaping maw shut. Adora’s amazement didn’t last for long, as the creature overpowered the stickiness of Bow’s arrow and snapped it’s mouth back open. Glimmer charged with a yell, shooting more of her sparkle clouds at the monster. Seriously, Adora had no idea what the use of this power was, as it seemed to do absolutely nothing to the creature, which continued to advance on the trio. The princess was slapped away by the monster, which could perhaps be described as perhaps a large bug, landing with a heavy thud against a tree. 

Bow shot another arrow at their attacker, this time turning into a loop of rope that snagged on the creature’s front horn. As it dragged him behind it, Adora finally freed her foot from the crack and spotted the sword that Glimmer had dropped. She ran towards it, praying that this time it might do something useful instead of just giving her a nap. She pointed the sword at the bug and called out to it, struggling to keep a hold on the weapon with her bound hands. Her frustration grew as the sword did nothing, not even provide the blinding flash of light she had come to associate with the weapon. She screamed as the bug advanced towards her, clueless as to how she was meant to fight this thing. As the bug’s leg swung down on her, she heaved the sword above her head, hoping for it to act as some kind of shield against the strike. As the claw connected, the blinding light she had been hoping for finally came, along with that same woman’s voice from earlier. 

“Will you fight for the honor of Grayskull?” 

Adora hesitated for the briefest second. She didn’t know what that meant, what she was pledging herself to. Whatever it was, it was going to save her life, and the thought of that debt over her head terrified her. Hesitantly, with a power in her voice she did not feel, she shouted. 

“For the honor of Grayskull!”

Light burst forth from the stone of the sword. A sudden power surged through Adora, overtaking her completely. She felt a new, untapped strength humming beneath her skin. There was a warm, golden glow surrounding her, and the monster that had just been about to kill her was now calm and knelt at her feet. She smiled and glanced down at herself, wondering what had changed. She was greeted with the sight of a body which did not belong to her dressed in unfamiliar clothes. A strangled scream fell from her lips as she stumbled backwards, falling to the ground with a thud, followed by a bright, almost musical flash of magic. 

Before Adora could begin to process what had happened to her, the sparkly princess was in her face, yanking at the sword she grasped tightly. The sight of Glimmer, pulling at her sword, followed by the confusing transformation she had just been through was enough to put her over the edge. “What the hell did you do to me?” She didn’t know what magic was at work, but she did know that this had princesses written all over it. 

Glimmer shouted back, sounding just as frustrated as Adora felt. “What do you mean what did I do to you?”

Frustration rose in Adora’s chest. She was tired of her body being used by other people. Glimmer had done something, she was sure of it. “I didn’t know being a princess was contagious!” She yanked the sword back towards herself, anger forming a pit in her stomach. 

Bow descended upon the pair, wrapping his hands upon the hilt and yelling for everyone to calm down in that squeaky, panicked voice. He turned to Adora, pulling the sword towards himself as he did so. “Wanna tell us how you did that?”

Adora wanted to scream. Why wasn’t anyone listening to her? “I didn’t do shit, okay? I just picked up the sword and then, woosh, I’m in a tiara!” Just saying it felt ridiculous to her. She didn’t possess an ounce of magic. Why was this happening to her? 

Glimmer growled out an angry response. “I don’t care how she did it! We just have to make sure that she never does it again!” At her final word, she finally pulled the sword from Adora’s grasp, using her foot to create the much needed leverage. 

Adora fell backwards, rubbing at the spot on her chest where she had just been kicked. She sat up, glaring at Glimmer holding her sword. Before she could charge the princess, the creature that had been so docile moments ago roared back to life, eyes glowing with a new fury. It slammed it’s legs into the ground, creating new cracks. Adora was separated from the pair as they ran in opposite directions. She whirled around and stared at the beast, momentarily focused on Bow and Glimmer, attempting to formulate a plan of attack. 

Bow ran at her, sword outstretched in his arms, panic rising in his voice. “Do it again! Do it again!” Glimmer, outraged at the betrayal of Bow stealing the sword from her arms, materialized at his elbow. Adora gingerly took the sword from his outstretched hands, gripping the hilt so tightly her knuckles were white. “Do what you did before!” 

The problem with that plan, of course, was that Adora had no clue what she did before. She stared at the sword in her grasp, the gleaming blade reflecting the fear written across her face. “I don’t know what I did before!” 

Glimmer, having none of this, led the group out of the clearing at a run. “No time! We have to go.” The trio made a mad dash from the clearing, but the monster continued to gain on them, plowing through trees and underbrush in its frenzied pursuit. The group was catapulted off the edge of a cliff by their own momentum, tumbling into a pile on the ground below. 

Adora looked up from the bottom of the pile, taking in the sight ahead of them. It was old, covered in geometric patterns and overgrown foliage. “What is this place?”

As if on cue, the creature roared behind them, enforcing the urgency of their situation. It began to make its way down the cliff. The group struggled out of their entanglement, Bow helping the other two up. “No idea, but it’s gotta be better than out here.” They ran towards the structure, the beast crashing into the very spot they had just been. 

Adora stared at the door, entranced with the geometric writing scrawled across it. It was a beautiful language, to be sure, but how the hell was she reading it? Distantly, she heard Glimmer and Bow arguing about what to do, and she cut them off. “What’s written on this door? It looks like some kind of password.”

Bow turned to her in shock. “You can read that?” 

“You can’t?”

The creature roared behind them, gaining speed. 

“What does it say?”

“Eternia!” At the sound of Adora’s voice, the geometric patterns adorning the door glowed a brilliant white. She didn’t have time to be in awe, dashing through the doors as soon as they opened, followed quickly by Bow and Glimmer. The door slammed shut behind them, enclosing the group in darkness. There was a shared sigh of relief as they realized they were safe. A pale pink glow came to life in Glimmer’s hand, illuminating a small area of the space. 

In the dim light of Glimmer’s magic, Bow stared at Adora, a hint of hostility tinging a voice she had found soothing up until now. “So, Horde soldier, how long have you been able to read First Ones writing?” 

Glimmer held her shining orb of magic below her chin in an attempt to look menacing. “Wanna tell us what’s really happening here?” She glared down at Adora. 

The pair was met with her angry stare. I told you I don’t know. I just read the word on the door.” What was so hard for them to grasp here? She saw the word, she read it, the door opened. She didn’t know why she knew the language or why it felt both ancient and familiar at the same time. Adora also thought that perhaps it was time for her to get some thanks instead of the third degree. She’d saved their asses twice now, and they still glared at her with suspicion. 

Glimmer snorted, her voice laced heavily with derision. “Right… you just read a word in a language no one has spoken for thousands of years, and the door just opened into a mysterious ancient ruin. Sure.” As her final syllable echoed around the ruin, she finally achieved the ominous look she’d been going for, staring Adora down with a ferocity that shook her to her core. 

Instinctively, Adora flinched away, memories of dark magic curling around her. She felt so, so weak. Rage rose within her. She couldn’t stand up to Shadow Weaver, but she could to this princess. And after all, what was the difference? Both were willing to use magic to hurt her, to get what they wanted from her. “You think I did this on purpose? I never wanted to be a princess. You’re monsters.” She spat the last word at Glimmer, steadily advancing on the smaller girl. 

To her credit, the princess stood her own, maintaining that ferocity as she glared up at Adora, now towering above her. “Monsters? You’re the monster!” 

Adora’s fists clenched. Who was this sparkly little shit to call her a monster? She knew nothing about her, nothing about what she’d been through. Without fully realizing it, she’d cocked a fist, ready to throw a punch at the princess. 

Bow jumped up, placing a hand on each of the girls’ shoulders. He was definitely the mediator between the two. “Glimmer, she did save us.” 

Adora snidely added the word twice in her head, knowing that saying it aloud would piss Glimmer off even more. Censoring herself didn’t seem to help much, as Glimmer ripped away from Bow’s touch. “I don’t care!” Tears filled the girl’s eyes as she contemplated some unknown trauma. “Have you forgotten what the Horde has done to us? The people we’ve lost to them?” She let the tears come freely now, sobbing into the embrace Bow had offered. 

Adora fought the urge to reality check Glimmer. She’d lost people to the Horde too, hadn’t she? Catra had been gone for over four years now, and deep down, Adora knew that at some point she’d lost herself to the Horde as well. There was a time when she never would have backed down, even in the face of magic. That version of her was long gone, leaving behind a girl that flinched away from sparkles. Glimmer muttered something to Bow about her mother and started walking deeper into the ruins, forcing Adora out of her thoughts. 

Bow nudged her with his shoulder with a sense of familiarity, as if surviving the attacks from that creature had forged some unbreakable bond between them. “Thanks for saving us from that bug thing back there when you could’ve escaped instead.” He gave Adora a huge, dopey grin. She tried to roll off the praise, ignoring the way it made her feel to have someone, even an enemy, tell her she’d done well. She turned away from Bow, hiding the tiniest smile that she couldn’t stop from appearing, and followed Glimmer deeper into the complex of ruins. Bow fell in line, walking side by side with Adora. “I’m Bow, by the way.” He introduced himself as if Adora hadn’t heard his name far too many times to count. 

She offered her own name in return “Adora.” 

Bow smiled at the Horde soldier finally opening up, even if it was just to offer her name. “Weird name for a Horde soldier.” 

Adora fought the urge to laugh. Of the three of them, she was certain she had the most normal name here. She wanted to retort by telling Bow that at least she wasn’t named after her weapon, but he was smiling so eagerly at her that she couldn’t bear to insult him. Instead, she gazed around the structure, taking in the ruins using the limited light from Glimmer, whose voice cut in through her thoughts. “Look at these carvings. I think this might be a First Ones ruin.” 

Adora followed Glimmer’s gaze, looking up at another triangle-shaped doorway. There was that word again. “What’s a first one?”

Glimmer took on a condescending tone that made Adora want to punch her all over again. “You’ve never heard of a first one?”

Luckily for his companion, Bow stepped in to answer her question. “The first ones are the original settlers of Etheria. They disappeared a thousand years ago, but they left behind a lot of old ruins and technology. Like this place.”

She stared in wonder at their surroundings, taking in this new information. How had she read that door, if the First Ones hadn’t been seen in thousands of years? “What happened to them?”

“No one knows. The Horde didn’t teach you about them?”

Bitterness settled into Adora’s heart. “Seems like there’s a lot the Horde didn’t tell me.” She was struggling with the thought of ever going back there after all of this, but she brushed her doubts aside. She was going to be there for her squad, no matter what.

Glimmer’s groan echoed in the emptiness of the halls. “How are we supposed to get out of here?” 

Bow turned to Adora. “Hey, Adora, do you maybe wanna turn on some lights? I bet there’s a password or something. Ooh! What’s First Ones’ for light?” 

His enthusiasm was overwhelming, and Adora took a step back. “I - I don’t know. I don’t think that’s how this works?” 

Glimmer sighed, clearly annoyed at her best friend turning to the Horde soldier for help. “I got this. Everyone stand back.” 

Bow stared at his friend, concern obvious in his face and body language. “Uh, Glimmer? Maybe you should take it easy. We’re pretty far from Bright Moon and we don’t know when you’ll be able to recharge.” 

Adora wasn’t going to touch that with a ten foot pole, all too familiar with the way that Shadow Weaver would recharge before a particularly harrowing correction. 

“Stand back! I’ll be fine.” Glimmer grew the glowing orb in her hands, straining with effort as she flung it towards the ceiling. When it made contact, light exploded throughout the ruin, illuminating every surface. 

Adora gaped in awe. She’d never seen magic used like this before. She took in her surroundings, marvelling in the beauty of the structure around her. Directly in front of the trio was a huge mosaic of a woman with a sword. Adora looked closer. Was that… her sword? Glimmer and Bow were just as dumbstruck as they took in the sight. Bow was the first to break the amazed silence. “Oh, hey! That’s you!” 

Adora was snapped from her engrossment. “That doesn’t look anything like me.” She rolled her eyes at the rebel soldier, though she silently admitted to herself that she was growing fond of him. 

He chuckled in response. “No, I meant the other you. The one in the cape after you used the sword.” 

She stared back up at the mosaic, soaking in the details of the Goddess depicted in front of her. “That was… me? That’s impossible, no way.” 

Bow pointed at the sigil just beneath the woman. “What does that say?” 

“It says… She-Ra” Like the door before it, the mosaic responded to Adora’s voice, glowing brightly. 

A woman materialized in front of the trio, causing them to jump back in alarm. She looked… similar to the woman from Adora’s earlier vision, but she knew that this wasn’t her. 

“Greetings, Administrator. What is your query?” A robotic voice emitted from the woman, whose mouth moved out of sync with her words. 

Bow was the first to approach, awestruck by the ancient technology. “I think this is some kind of ancient hologram.” 

The holographic woman only restated her question. 

Bow spoke loudly and slowly, “How do we get out of here?”

The hologram ignored him. “What is your query?”

Bow looked disappointed at the lack of response. “I think she’s broken.” 

Glimmer waved her hand through the woman’s torso. “She’s ancient. It’s a wonder that anything still works here.” 

At the intrusion of her physical being, the hologram flashed red. “Administrator not detected. Lockdown initiated.” The hall around them, previously lit with soft blues and whites, was now overwhelmed by a glaring red. The doors slammed down, some of them crumbling at the motion after centuries of disuse. 

Bow waved his hands frantically. “No! No lockdown! No lockdown!” As the structure continued to crumble around them, he turned to Adora desperately. “Adora, you gotta get it to stop!” 

Adora only stared at him, panicked. “What makes you think I can?”

The hologram chirped unhelpfully in the same emotionless tone. “Query not recognized.”

Adora shouted the only two passwords she knew at the woman with no response. Her eyes fell upon the sword in the mosaic and an idea struck her. “Glimmer, you gotta give me the sword!” 

Glimmer looked affronted at the suggestion. “What? No!”

“Please! We need the lady in the cape! I don’t know how, but she’s the key to this place, and I think that she can get us out.”

Glimmer was jostled as the falling rubble shook the ground underneath her. Somehow, it didn’t stop her glare from being any less ferocious. “No! You’re a Horde soldier. I’m not giving you the damn sword!” A particularly large piece of ceiling fell right next to the trio. Adora felt a tug as Glimmer gripped the back of her coat. “Hold on!” 

Bow’s protests barely registered as Adora suddenly found herself plummeting through the sky. She let out a scream that was knocked out of her when she landed heavily on the net Bow had cleverly deployed. Much to her shock, she was alive. She turned to Bow, only to see him frantically shaking Glimmer, who was no longer conscious. He heaved a sigh of relief as her eyes finally, slowly blinked open. “Did it… did it work?” 

He smiled at his friend and Adora felt a pang of jealousy at the strength of their friendship. “Yeah, it worked. Barely. Are you all right?” 

Glimmer groaned as she hopped down from the net, ignoring Bow’s outstretched hand. “I’m fine. I think I just used too much power on that teleport.” 

Adora and Bow followed Glimmer to the ground, Bow doing his best to keep his I-told-you-so’s to a moderate number. Glimmer brushed off her friend, turning instead to Adora. “Why are you still here?” 

Adora did her best to hide her hurt at the question. Of course she didn’t want to be captive, but Glimmer’s rejection still hurt, as if she weren’t even good enough to be their prisoner. “What?” 

“Bow and I aren’t exactly a first-rate security team. You could have escaped at any time. Why not?” 

Ador racked her brain for an answer that would not come. Why was she still here? She had a team, a family to get back to, to protect. But that sword, that damn sword still called to her, and there was something so warm and beautiful in the friendship between her captors that was so reminiscent of her and Catra that it hurt. It pulled at her insides and she felt like she was dying but also living for the first time and Oh Goddess why was she here? “I don’t… I don’t know. I have … family that I need to get back to, but the sword keeps calling me, and I don’t understand what’s happening to me.” She cut herself off, choking back the sob that was building in the back of her throat. She was not going to cry in front of these people. 

Bow pulled her into an unexpected hug, and it was all she could do not to dissolve into a puddle of tears. She clutched back at him desperately. It had been years since she had received this kind of physical affection. The Horde wasn’t big on hugging or even any displays of physical affection, so the last time she had really been held like this was before Catra left her behind. At the thought of Catra, she struggled even hard to choke back her tears. She would not be weak. She was not going to be a disgrace. She pushed out of the embrace, offering a grateful look. He smiled down at her. “Glimmer’s mom knows more about First One’s tech than anyone! I bet she’d know what’s going on with you and the sword. So, if you want your questions answered, stick with us?”

Adora was hesitant in her response. What about her team? What about Catra? She had sworn to herself if she ever got out of the Horde she’d look for Catra first. She couldn’t break that promise. But she needed these people. They had resources that she couldn’t hope to achieve. And despite her best efforts, she found herself trusting, and maybe even liking them. She looked down at Bow’s outstretched hand and placed her own in it, offering a nervous smile. 

Glimmer stared at the pair, face unreadable. “Let’s go. There should be a village pretty close to here. They’ll be able to get us back to Bright Moon.” She turned back to glare at Adora. “We’ve wasted too much time already.” 

Bow and Adora fell in line, walking steadily behind Glimmer. Before they could enterthe village, Glimmer yanked Adora back by the elbow. “The jacket comes off. If the villagers see a Horde soldier, they’ll freak out.” 

Adora hesitantly removed her red jacket and handed it to Glimmer, who promptly threw it into a bush. She let out a sound of protest, but she was at the mercy of the princess now. Next, Glimmer’s cape was flung over her shoulders, covering the Horde insignia on the back of her undershirt. Adora was grateful for the high neck and long sleeves of her shirt, protecting her mutilated skin from prying eyes. Bow plucked a flower from a nearby bush and tucked it behind Adora’s ear, fluffing her hair out from underneath the cape. It fell around her shoulders in waves and Bow nodded and gave a thumbs up to his handiwork. Adora reddened at the attention she was being given while Glimmer glared daggers at her. “Just try to keep a low profile, okay? We’ll be in and out.”

The trio walked into the village, Glimmer leading the way. It was a small village and music floated throughout while the satyr villagers danced. There were colorful lanterns and streamers adorning every building, and the people all looked carefree and joyful. Adora surveyed what was happening, eyes wide with wonder. “What is this?” She’d never seen anything like it before. 

Bow turned back to her, still smiling that easy smile, as if he made friends out of Horde soldiers on a daily basis. “It’s a festival! You know, like a big party.” At Adora’s confusion, his face fell in despair. “You don’t have parties in the Fright Zone?” Adora simply shook her head in response. The Fright Zone was a joyless, dangerous place. There weren’t exactly occasions for celebration there. Bow’s face fell further, something Adora hadn’t thought was remotely possible. 

She thanked the stars that Glimmer interrupted when she did, Adora couldn’t bear to disappoint her new … friend? any further. “Did you even hear what I just said? In and out, Bow!” For someone so small, the princess held a lot of rage. 

Bow turned towards his friend, pleading with his eyes. “She has never been to a party before, Glimmer.” 

Adora, sheepish, shied away from the conversation. She really didn’t need these two to discover just how dismal life in the Fright Zone was. Suddenly, Bow was pulling her by the wrist, leading her to a stall being run by two women, wearing bright, flowing dresses. He handed her a pink, soft thing before taking a bit of his own. Adora followed his lead, and an explosion erupted in her mouth. The doughy substance was filled with a sweet, sticky gel. She let the tiniest sigh escape her mouth as she experienced what must have been pure bliss. Grey ration bars were nothing compared to this. She inhaled the rest of it, ignoring the look that Glimmer gave her. Bow, upon realizing that Adora had never had food even close to this before, promptly toured her through all the stalls in the village, giving her samples of all the food they had to offer. Adora ate like she never had before. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d even been allowed a ration bar, instead relying on her friends to save her pieces of theirs. She ate until she felt like her stomach might burst. She’d never been so full in her life. 

Bow took her through the rest of the festival, instructing her to hit a structure hanging from a tree. He explained that a sweet substance called candy would fall out. Adora took the bat offered to her, and for the first time since she was 13, she did something for fun. The faces of the children when the vessel burst were precious, and her smile grew with pride. The last time she’d been this happy… no. She couldn’t let herself dwell on the past, couldn’t be weak. She straightened her spine and offered Bow a brilliant grin. He set her down to watch something called a puppet show, promising that he’d be right back. Adora watched, entranced, as the man used shapes he made with his hands to tell stories about the village. She didn’t even notice that Glimmer had plopped down beside her until the girl offered a small, contented sigh. She wasn’t sure what she’d done right, but Adora knew that Glimmer had at least accepted her presence, if not been overjoyed about it. 

Glimmer was soon pulled away by a leader of the village to discuss transportation back to Bright Moon, and shortly afterwards Bow came for Adora, offering what looked like a pink cloud on a stick. He took Adora to sit against a wall in a more secluded part of the village, sensing that she was becoming overwhelmed. They sat against the wall together, waiting for Glimmer to finish talking with the leader. Adora tore into the spun sugar treat Bow had offered, delighting in the way it just dissolved in her mouth. Bow turned to her, a look of disbelief still written across his face. “So, seriously? No parties ever?” Adora just shook her head, more interested in the cotton candy than explaining Horde culture to Bow. “What about birthdays?” 

Adora just shook her head again, ignoring Bow as a new sight caught her eye. In front of them was a muscular creature, placidly grazing on the grass in front of it. It was a deep brown color, and it’s coat seemed to ripple in the sunlight. Adora, entranced, cut off whatever crisis Bow had been having about her life in the Fright Zone. “What is that?”

Bow, nonplussed, followed where her finger was pointing. “That… would be a horse.”

Adora’s eyes shone. “It’s majestic…” 

“Do you wanna go meet it?” 

Adora dug her heels in. She didn’t want to bother the creature. It was beautiful, and perfect, and looking at it made her feel unworthy. Bow ignored her protests and pushed her towards the horse, guiding her hand to rest on its muzzle. The horse nickered softly and pushed into Adora’s hand. “See? He likes you!” 

Adora gasped softly, happiness flooding her system. “This… is the best day of my life.” 

Her moment with the majestic creature was interrupted by a loud bang. The trio turned to face each other and bolted to the sound. When they reached the center of the village, devastation fell onto the three of them. It was under attack by the Horde. Bow pulled them into a building, staying out of sight of the Horde soldiers. “Why are they here? The people of Thaymor aren’t a threat to them!” 

The name registered in Adora’s head. Shit. “This can’t be Thaymor.” Bile rose in her chest and she struggled not to fall to her knees. 

Glimmer advanced on her, fists tightening in anger. “Did you know something about this?”

Adora wasn’t sure how to answer. “Kind of… but there’s been a mistake! Thaymor is supposed to be a heavily fortified rebel fortress, not a small, peaceful village!” 

Glimmer glared and dragged Adora from their hiding spot, gesturing wildly to the town burning around them. “Do you really think that matters to them?” 

Smoke burned Adora’s nostrils, and tears formed in her eyes. “I can get them to stop! This has to be a misunderstanding.” She passed Glimmer’s cape back to her, revealing the Horde insignia emblazoned on her back, feeling sick to her stomach to even be looking at it. If this was Thaymor, that meant that Lonnie was here. “I’ll talk to them, just get all the villagers out as quickly as you can.” She turned back to the pair, tears now freely running down her face. “I’m sorry.” She ran into the fray, ignoring Bow calling after her. Bile rose in her throat again as terrified villagers ran past her. She glanced around wildly, desperate to find Lonnie, who was supposed to be in charge of this siege. She didn’t have to look far, as a massive tank rolled through the village. Adora ran into its path, throwing her arms out. The tank screeched to a halt, laser cannon stopping mere inches from her face. The force of it blew her hair back, and the flower Bow had so tenderly placed in her hair was lost. 

A familiar face popped out of the tank. “Adora?” It was Lonnie, finally. 

She climbed down the tank and Adora ran at her friend, sweeping her into a hug. “Lonnie, please, you have to stop this!” She cried, “This is a civilian town!” 

Lonnie pushed out of the hug, bewildered. “Adora, what? This is an insurgent base.” 

Adora shook her head and gestured at the town crumbling around them. “Look around, these are innocent people. We have to stop this.” 

Lonnie paused and took in the sight of the village around her. Children ran, screaming for their mothers. Village Elders shouted through the chaos, attempting an evacuation. She lifted her radio to her mouth with a sigh. “Stop the attack. We’re retreating.” 

Tears of gratitude shone in Adora’s eyes as Horde forces began to retreat. “Thank you.” She whispered. 

Lonnie looked her friend up and down and grabbed her hand, pulling her back towards the tank. “Come on, let’s get you home.” She paused at Adora’s hesitation, who was looking down at her feet in distress. “Adora?”

Adora was paralyzed. She couldn’t go back there. She couldn’t go back to the abuse, the starvation, the sleepless nights, the wondering about what had happened to Catra. Lonnie responded to her hesitation, cupping Adora’s face in her hands. “Adora… you don’t have to go back. I can take care of them.” Adora looked up into Lonnie’s eyes, tears threatening to spill down both of their faces. “Go.” Lonnie said with finality. “Go find Catra. We’ll be okay.” 

Adora nodded, tears flowing freely now. She choked out a promise. “When I find her… we’ll come back and get you guys, okay?” 

Lonnie just nodded, giving her friend a final hug before climbing back up into the tank. “Goodbye, Adora.” The Horde drove away, leaving Adora alone in the center of the burning town. 

Adora wasn’t quite sure what to do next. She was now officially a deserter of the Horde, a crime punishable by death. Bow and Glimmer probably thought she’d sold them out. She was frozen in place, surrounded by wreckage at every turn. She was torn from her horror by the distant sound of hoofbeats. Bow and Glimmer had actually come back for her. The brief flicker of relief she felt when she realized that she hadn’t been left behind again was quickly overwhelmed by her dismay at what had just happened. 

“I can’t believe the Horde would do this…” She trailed off. The problem was that she did believe it. She’d seen it, hadn’t she? Devastating cruelty was just what the Horde did. Bow and Glimmer dismounted the horse, unsure of how to handle the situation. 

Adora looked down at herself, barely aware of the duo behind her, and realized with disgust that she was still wearing that cursed shirt, the Horde insignia splashed across her back. She tore at the shirt, sobbing violently. She ripped down the center, finally snatching it off of herself. The hushed gasps of Bow and Glimmer as she exposed her back hardly registered. She threw the shirt to the ground and fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around herself. She wept loudly, without care or concern for who heard her. Suddenly, warm, soft arms wrapped around her. Instinctively, she flinched away from the touch, but they only gripped her tighter. She collapsed into the hug, surprised to find that it was Glimmer who had initiated the contact. She clutched desperately at her new friend, as if she would disappear without Glimmer holding her down. Adora felt Bow’s arms wrap around the two of them, and she cried harder at the simple act of care she was being shown. She didn’t know how long they stayed that way, only that the sun had just begun to set as she pulled out of the hug, furiously wiping tears from her eyes. She hoped they could both feel how grateful she was for their care when she pulled them in for a last hug before stealing herself away again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Chapter Four has been taking me forever to write, but it will be up on the 22nd!


	4. Bright Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's late! Classes started last week and went 0-100. I'm gonna try to post chapters as they're finished, so my update schedule is gonna be pretty irregular for now :(

Adora had been carefully wrapped in Glimmer’s cape while Bow ran off to the woods, looking for her red jacket. She sat on the ground, shell shocked, while Glimmer attempted to rub soothing circles on her back. Adora struggled not to flinch when her gentle hands grazed over wounds that were still healing. She was silent, heart sinking as it occurred to her that Glimmer could feel every warped and raised scar, a map of abuse written across her back. She shivered at the thought, pulling the cape tighter around her body. Glimmer stayed her hand in reaction, pulling Adora in under her arm. Guilt overtook her at that tender action, at the fact that the princess was taking care of her. She wasn’t the one who had exhausted her magic saving lives. She’d barely done anything, and she certainly hadn’t done something that made her worthy of this care. 

Bow ran back to the pair in the center of the town, clutching Adora’s jacket in his hands. He had smartly removed any sign of the Horde from the jacket before coming back, and he passed it now to Adora, who clutched at it like it was a lifeline. She coughed slightly, hoping the pair would take the cue to turn around. She didn’t want them to see her like this, not again. She slipped the jacket on when their backs were to her, pulling the sleeves down her arms as far as she could. She cursed at the amount of bare skin that was showing. Still, it was better than nothing, and she was grateful for the rope Bow had scavenged when he threw away the Horde belt. 

The trio took in the sight of the destroyed buildings, some of them still smoldering. They’d return later, to rebuild, but between the three of them, there was nothing they could do for now. Bow helped Adora and Glimmer onto the horse, and led them down the road out of Thaymor. Adora turned back to look at the village one last time, mouthing a silent apology for failing the town. 

Adora dismounted the horse when she finally felt that her legs would be able to support her. She didn’t want to exhaust the magnificent creature, and Glimmer was barely maintaining consciousness after depleting her magic. They arrived at Bright Moon as the final rays of the setting sun illuminated it in wondrous splendor. Adora gaped openly at the sight. She’d never seen anything so beautiful. Glimmer, barely able to hold herself upright, managed a weak “Welcome to Bright Moon.”

They moved steadily along a stone path, crossing most of the river in front of them before coming to an ornate set of golden doors. They opened as the trio grew near, and they passed through them into a small room leading to several large platforms. Glimmer guided the horse onto one of them, Bow and Adora right behind her. At some unknown cue, the platform began moving upward at a steady pace, coming to a stop at another path, this one far more elegant than the first. 

Bow helped Glimmer down from the horse and passed the reins to a guard standing by the platform, asking them to take him to the paddock. He supported Glimmer as they walked down the shining bridge towards the castle, where they are greeted by a tall, winged woman who is glowering at them. “Glimmer!” She is angry, and Adora recoils at the sound of a voice like subdued thunder. 

Glimmer walks forward, pulling out of Bow’s supporting grasp and manages a “Hi, mom” before completely collapsing. Both Bow and Adora rush forward, but it is Glimmer’s mother who reaches her first, gathering her gently into her arms before taking flight. Adora watches, staring unabashedly as the woman soared to the huge opalescent stone marking the entrance of Bright Moon. 

Bow tugged at her elbow, noticing the wary glances of the guards at the sight of a stranger. “Let’s go” He leads Adora back down the path and onto the platform, which continues to move upwards, finally linking with the room below the moonstone. 

Glimmer is laying, painfully still, on a raised bed. She is glowing faintly, and her mother is keeping guard. At the sight of Bow and Adora, she startles, striding elegantly towards them. “Bow, who is this? What happened?”

Bow shifted nervously, avoiding the Queen’s piercing stare. “Queen Angella! Uh, hi!” He glanced at Adora, looking perhaps the most panicked she’d ever seen a person. “This is, uh, Adora!” Adora gave a small, awkward wave, still completely folded in on herself. Bow attempted nonchalance. “We’ll, uh, let Glimmer help us explain the rest.” 

The Queen frowned and looked back at her daughter, still laying perfectly still. As night settled on the rest of Bright Moon, the princess finally stirred. Even under the pale glow of the moonstone, she looked much better. As Glimmer sat up, Angella rushed to her side. “Are you all right?” 

Glimmer grinned as she snapped her fingers, creating small bursts of sparkling light. “I’m fine, mom.”

The Queen heaved a sigh of relief. Knowing that her daughter was okay, her face shifted from concern to fury. Her voice was stern. “You’re still in trouble you know.” Adora flinched away from the threatening tone, an action that did not go unnoticed by the Queen. “You don’t charge before you leave and you bring a stranger back here with you?” 

Adora looked back at the platform behind her, tempted to run, but Bow grabbed her arm before she could act. He looked at her with wide, concerned eyes, and somehow managed to communicate comfort through that small action. It was almost annoying how good he was at this. Almost. 

Glimmer, oblivious to the silent exchange, grew a small orb of light like the one before, dissolving it into a cloud of sparkles. She was far too happy to have her powers back to care about being in trouble. “This is Adora. Besides, I didn’t think I’d be gone that long.”

Adora walked forward at Bow’s urging and bent into an awkward sort of curtsy. “Your Majesty” This was the first time she’d spoken in hours, and her voice was thick and rusty. At the Queen’s dismissive wave she clambered awkwardly out of her deferential pose, standing stiffly at attention, hands clasped firmly behind her back. 

“Glimmer, where did you even go?”

Glimmer shrugged off her mother’s question. “I’ll explain later. Just… let my friends rest, okay?” The Queen begrudgingly acquiesced and before Adora could register what was happening, she was in a completely unfamiliar location. “Bow, get Adora some pajamas, okay? I’ll be back.” She disappeared in a cloud of sparkles as Bow wrapped a soft blanket around Adora’s shoulders. 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Glimmer almost felt high as magic finally coursed through her again. She wanted to go teleporting throughout Bright Moon, but she knew that her mother was waiting anxiously for an explanation. After she dropped Bow and Adora off in her room, she teleported to the Queen’s chambers, where she found her mother pacing the floor. “Hey mom.”

“Glimmer! What is going on? Who was that?” 

“Okay, so Bow and I went out to the Whispering Woods to find this super powerful piece of First Ones tech, and we found it, but then we got a little bit sidetracked, and we found Adora and she joined us and also-by-the-way-she's-from-the-Horde” She exhaled the last bit as quickly as possible. 

The Queen of course, still heard, and her voice was thunderous “You brought a Horde soldier to Bright Moon? Of all the thoughtless, ill-conceived ideas-”

She was cut off by Glimmer. “Mom! She needs us, okay? I think some really bad stuff happened to her when she was in the Horde.” 

Angella wasn’t blind, of course she had noticed the scars snaking up the girl’s chest and arms, like glaring red lightning bolts. It was an obvious indicator of having been tortured with dark magic, and her heart wept for the girl. But she didn’t have a choice. This was about the safety of her kingdom. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Glimmer-”

She didn’t have a chance to begin her thought before her daughter interrupted her again. “Mom! You can’t seriously be considering sending her away! She left behind everything she knew to come back with us.” Her eyes shone with tears. “Please.”

The queen dropped unceremoniously onto her chaise. As hard as she tried to hide it, it was always a struggle to say no to her daughter. “You’ll take responsibility for her?”

Glimmer beamed. “Yes! Mom, thank you so much, I swear you will not regret this!” 

Angella relaxed into her seat, patting the space next to her. “Now, you’re going to tell me where the hell you were.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Adora stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, fidgeting with her hands. She still hadn’t spoken aside from greeting the Queen, and Bow was beginning to worry. “So… Adora, can I get you some clean clothes to sleep in?” Adora only nodded in response, and Bow leapt into action. “Okay, just stay right here, I’ll be right back.”

He ran out of the room and down several flights of stairs, skidding into the room that the Bright Moon tailors used. The staff was long gone, but Bow knew where to find the spare clothes they kept on hand. He grabbed a few long sleeved shirts and pants, as well as a belt to replace the one Adora had thrown away. He was about to leave when something caught his eye. It was a small, golden belt buckle in the shape of a wing. He grabbed it and ran back to Glimmer’s room, finding Adora right where he left her. 

He approached her slowly, both hands in front of him, as if she were a skittish animal. “I got you some clothes. I also found this belt, and this belt buckle.” Adora took it from his hands tentatively, staring down at it. The last time she’d received a gift had been some small trinket from Catra, years ago. It was probably destroyed by now, the Horde being aware of her desertion. Her eyes shone with unshed tears at Bow’s kindness, and she offered a small smile in return. Bow hesitated with his next question. He already knew the answer, but was scared that she’d refuse his help. “Do you… need any medical attention, bandages or anything…?” He trailed off, but to his relief, Adora nodded again. “Okay! I can go and get a healer, I’ll be right back.” 

Adora, finally, finally spoke. “No.” Her voice was weak, betraying her deep exhaustion. 

Bow nodded in understanding. “Okay, I’m sure that Glimmer has bandages in her bathroom.” He left the room through another door and came back quickly, arms full of bandages and ointment. Ointment was a luxury Adora had never been allowed in the Horde. She couldn’t see the healers for help, and no one in her squad could risk stealing something so precious. Shadow Weaver had used some sort of magic on her wounds, keeping them from becoming infected. It was a small kindness, and barely a kindness at that - she had simply been keeping her abuses hidden from Hordak. 

Adora removed her jacket, turning her back to Bow. Her wounds were several days old, so she knew that they didn’t look as bad as they could have. Still, she heard Bow’s sharp intake of breath at the sight of her back. She shivered. “Adora…” He didn’t seem to know what to say. He opted, thankfully, for silence as he set about his task. The cool, medicated ointment sent instant relief coursing through her body. She relaxed, slouching over at Bow’s calming touch. He took his time, making sure that every inch of her back was covered. Adora felt herself relaxing further at the tender care that this practical stranger was taking. Even her squad, her family, had never taken such care. Something deep in her shifted, and she knew that she’d always be safe with Bow and Glimmer. Safety. It was something she hadn’t had in years, and as the feeling overwhelmed her, she wept silent tears. Bow hummed a lullaby as he worked, moving on to carefully apply the bandages to Adora’s back. 

He tapped her shoulder gently when he was finished, sensing her need for silence. She walked slowly to the bathroom, grabbing a set of pajamas on the way. Robotically, she moved through an abbreviated bedtime routine, resolving to shower in the morning. She exited the bathroom, eyeing Bow, who was doing his best to look like he hadn’t been waiting for her. “Is there… should I… can I sleep in here?” She stammered out. 

His face softened. “Yeah, of course. This is Glimmer’s room, there probably isn’t one ready for you yet. If you want, we can both stay the night in here?” 

Adora hesitated, not wanting to be a nuisance. But Bow had offered, and he wouldn’t have offered if he didn’t want to, right? “That would… that would be really nice.” Her smile was soft and genuine. “Where should I sleep?” 

Bow gestured to a cushioned area below the window. “You can sleep there, I’ll get you some blankets. Glimmer sleeps up there,” He pointed to a bed floating in the center of the room. “And I sleep there!” He pointed to what appeared to be just a pile of pillows. 

Adora glanced at the bed below the window. It would easily fit at least three of her, and looked incredibly soft. “Like a sleepover?”

Bow pumped his fist enthusiastically. “Yes! First official Best Friends Squad sleepover!”

“Best… Friends Squad?”

He grinned from ear to ear. “It’s the name I came up with for us on the way back to Bright Moon. Do you like it?” 

He looked so eager, Adora couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped. Bow softened at the small sound of joy, the first he’d heard from his new friend. 

Adora padded over to the bed and whispered a quiet goodnight. She was asleep in minutes, snoring peacefully. Bow dimmed the lights and got into pajamas of his own, settling in to wait for Glimmer.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Adora blinked the morning sun out of her eyes. That was a first. She was used to waking up with the blaring morning siren of the Horde, and this peaceful transition into consciousness with the chirping of birds felt luxurious. She stretched and sat up, eyeing the still-sleeping figures of Bow and Glimmer. A pang of guilt coursed through her as she recalled waking them up with her screams last night. In the Horde, her squadron had adapted to her night terrors by taking turns sleeping in the bunk above her, so they could drop down and silence her with ease. She’d been so dragged down with exhaustion that she’d forgotten to warn the pair, and had sent them into a panic in the early hours of the morning. Before her guilt could completely weigh her down, she forced herself out of bed, grabbing a fresh set of clothes from the pile that Bow had brought her. 

Adora padded silently to the bathroom. On the sink, there was a small pile of toiletries and a towel with a note addressed to her. In looping, elegant handwriting, it explained how to use the shower, and Adora breathed a sigh of relief. The shower had looked so much more complicated than the Horde stalls she was used to, and she had been panicking about having to ask how to use it. 

She showered quickly, avoiding looking too closely at herself in the brightly lit room. She pulled on the clothes she had brought in with her, sighing at how soft they were. They were certainly her style, but they lacked the coarseness of typical Horde garments. She let her wet hair hang down her back and walked out to the room, finding Glimmer and Bow still sleeping. Unsure of how to occupy herself, Adora elected to just sit and wait, gazing out the window at the sights of Bright Moon. 

Adora wasn’t quite sure how much time had passed when her companions began to stir. She did her best to sit patiently, barely breathing as she waited for them to get up. Glimmer was the first to greet her, offering a sleepy smile. “Good Morning!” 

Adora smiled back at the princess and gave a small wave. Bow rose shortly after, and Adora gave the pair time to go through their morning routines before asking the question that was burning a hole in her skull. “How did it go with your mom?”

Glimmer shrugged, hesitating with her response. “She’s not exactly… happy that we brought home a Horde soldier, but she said you could stay, and just wait until she sees She-Ra!” The girl’s enthusiasm was palpable, but Adora’s heart sank. 

“I don’t know if I can become She-Ra again… I’ve only done it once, and we were all in danger when I did it.” A single, terrifying thought occurred to her. “Will the Rebellion hate me if I’m just… me?”

Bow rushed to assuage her fears. “They won’t hate you! It’s just that… well… everyone in the Rebellion has been seriously hurt by the Horde. But just give them time to get to know you!”

Adora could feel herself spiraling into another panic. Everyone in the rebellion would hate her. She was practically born into the Horde. Horde soldier had been her entire identity for years, and that was all they’d ever see. 

Glimmer piped up “Don’t you just have to say the words while you hold the sword?” 

“Well… yeah, but what if they don’t work?” The sinking feeling that the sword wasn’t really meant for her was back. 

Bow handed her the sword. “You won’t know until you try!” 

The sword was warm and heavy in her hands. She stared at the blade, shining in the light streaming gently through the windows. Some far away part of her registered Bow and Glimmer leaving the room, something about giving her time. Even as she held it in her hands, the sword called to her. Reverently, she whispered the words. “For the honour of Grayskull.” The runestone embedded in the hilt only glinted at her. She raised her voice, trying again. Nothing happened. She must have said the words dozens of times over until something happened. As she completed a smooth jabbing motion to punctuate the well-practiced phrase, the sword knocked down several glass ornaments that had been suspended from the ceiling. The sound they made as they shattered would have been beautiful, if not for the panic they induced. “Shit! Shitshitshitshitshit” Adora scrambled desperately for anything to clean up the mess with. Tucked away in a corner of the bathroom, she found a small broom and dustpan and quickly set about her task. The glass cleaned up, she dumped it carefully into a bin. She needed to get out of here. 

She glanced around the room, eyes landing on the sight outside the window. The horse from Theymor was in a spacious pasture, grazing contentedly. The outdoors beckoned to her. It was still foreign, the scent of nature, the feel of grass beneath her feet. She took a moment to revel in it, let the birdsong encapsulate her. She breathed in the crisp, clean air, so unlike the smog of the Fright Zone. There was magic here, she could feel it deep within her. It steadied her, and she approached the horse, calm finally overtaking her. “Hey Horsey.” The creature nickered in response. The sound was almost derisive. She laughed. “I suppose the name is kind of stupid, huh?” The horse’s head bobbed up and down, and she found herself laughing again. It was almost shocking how freely it came to her, in this small piece of nirvana she had found. Gently, she reached a hand up to pat the horse’s forelock. “Do you want to see something cool?” There was something about this place that made her feel unstoppable, like she could actually become She-Ra again. 

Adora raised the sword above her head and sent a small prayer to whoever was listening. “For the honour of Grayskull!” The horse nickered with derision again, as if he were laughing at her. She glared at the creature without any true anger. “Well let’s see you do it then.” She pointed the sword at the sky and tried again. To her surprise, something did happen, just not to her. A burst of magic came from the sword and bounced around the clearing, hitting the horse. Before her eyes, the horse began to shift, coat changing to a brilliant white as wings sprouted from either side of the creature. His mane and tail lengthened, changing from their original deep brown to a bright shade of orange. In a final sparkle, a horn grew from the horse’s forehead. Adora could only gape in wonder at the horse in its final transformed anatomy. The horse, or was it still a horse now? The new creature took in it’s new, unfamiliar form, and promptly proceeded to panic, fleeing the paddock. 

Adora cursed and ran after the creature, following it into the Whispering Woods. She lost sight of it quickly, and shivered in the cool shade of the unfamiliar forest. There was a powerful, ancient magic humming in the air, and it was both enticing and terrifying. Adora steeled herself, keeping a firm grip on the sword. “Horsey…” Her voice echoed around the trees. “Horsey, please come back.” She winced at the obvious tone of desperation. She’d been in Bright Moon less than 24 hours and she’d already broken several things, magicked a horse, and then proceeded to lose said horse. Things were not going well for her. Nevertheless, she trudged onwards, following footpaths through the forest until she came to another clearing. 

Her day continued to get stranger as she laid eyes on a small, elderly woman whose eyes were magnified by her incredibly large glasses. At the sight of Adora, she gasped in delight and rushed to greet her. “Oh, Mara dearie, you’re just in time!” 

Before Adora had a chance to respond, the old woman bustled into her cabin. Sighing, Adora followed, ducking under the low door frame of the hut. “Were you waiting for me?” There was something about the woman that felt familiar, as if they had met before. She knew that was impossible, but Adora still trusted her instinctively. There was an air of ancient magic around her, similar to the power of the woods around them, as if she had just sprouted out of the ground one day and gone about her business. 

Butterflies flew around the old woman’s head, creating a sort of floating crown. She laughed at Adora’s question. “We made plans to go berry picking today!” She hopped around her small home, grabbing baskets off of a high shelf and thrusting one into Adora’s hands. 

“But… I don’t know you.” 

This gave the old woman pause, and she turned to look at Adora, who shifted nervously under her gaze. “Ah, no! You’re not quite the same. You don’t know Madam Razz, do you?” Adora looked down at herself. She was clothed in Bright Moon colors, holding a sword whose power she could only hope to understand. The old woman was right. Unaware of her ongoing identity crisis, Razz prattled on. “This is the wrong time for my Mara. Now you’ve got the sword instead.” That caught her attention. Maybe she could answer some of her questions about the sword! Before she could begin to ask, Razz pushed past her and out into the woods. “Ah, well! There are still berries to be picked! Come now, dearie!” 

Adora followed, falling into line beside the woman. She pulled her basked into the crook of her elbow, ducking under foliage that barely dusted the top of Razz’s head. “Um, Razz?” The woman looked back, humming as she bounced through the forest. “You said something about the sword, before?” Adora gestured vaguely behind her, somewhat in the direction of the woman’s cottage. “Do you know anything about it?”

Razz hopped over a fallen log, chuckling. “Don’t be silly Mara, dearie!” You bring that sword around all the time.” 

Adora forced herself to take deep breaths. “I’m not-” She sighed. This wasn’t a point worth arguing. “Okay. Is there anything that you can tell me about the sword?” She held the sword in front of her, as if seeing it more closely might jog the woman’s memory. Razz only shrugged and turned away, continuing their journey through the woods. Adora took a second to steel herself before following. As she pushed hanging vines out of her way, she gasped at the sight that slowly became revealed to her. In the middle of the clearing was a ruin much like the one she had stumbled into with Bow and Glimmer. It was much taller, the top of the structure just above the treetops. It was covered in vines from centuries of neglect. Still, it was a magnificent structure. It was flanked by smaller buildings of the same style that had been buried in foliage. She turned slowly in the middle of the clearing, a sense of wonder overtaking her. Never in her life had she imagined the world outside of the Fright Zone to be so heartbreakingly beautiful. 

When her eyes finally landed back on the center castle, they widened in shock at the sight of Madame Razz jumping up the structure. Just as she called out after the old woman, she began to fall. Miraculously, Adora was able to catch her in time, though the impact had knocked the wind out of her. As she set Razz gently on her feet, the clearing became illuminated in a magical glow. Razz must have triggered something when she was up on the building. Adora dropped into a fighting stance, but it was unnecessary, as the sky above them flickered to life in a display. Stars. Distantly, Adora registered Madame Razz talking about the crystalline dots of light, but she was far too entranced to take in the words. This was new, and exciting, and so damn beautiful. The only celestial bodies she’d seen before had been Etheria’s moons, and Adora wished she could share this sight with Catra. Her heart ached at the thought, but in a much more gentle way than it ever had. Away from the horrors of the Fright Zone, her longing was no longer clouded by the frustration of being abandoned. If the world was as beautiful as this, she could understand. All she knew now was that she needed to find Catra. There was so much she had left to live, to experience, and she wanted - no, needed, to share it with her. 

The sound of Razz loudly munching on the berries she’d picked pulled Adora from her thoughts. The old woman was chomping peacefully on the berries she had nearly lost her life for, staring at Adora. “Razz, what do I do?” She felt silly asking a stranger, and a crazy one at that, but Adora had never felt so lost. She was being pulled in so many directions, and all that she really wanted was to curl up against a purring Catra, like she had when they were cadets together. The sword was guiding her in what felt like the opposite direction. There was a duty that came with this weapon, and the woman from her visions had made it clear: Adora was the one who must wield it. Razz, infuriatingly enough, had yet to even acknowledge Adora’s question. She continued to stare blankly at Adora, contentedly eating her berries. The desperation in her voice rose, Adora’s shame in showing weakness rising along with it. “Please… if you know something about the sword, about me, I need to know.” 

Razz only chuckled. “Come on, silly, there are still berries left to be picked!” She pushed Adora’s basket back into her arms and pulled her out of the clearing with a surprising strength, causing Adora to stumble as she grabbed the sword. 

Razz led her through the Whispering Woods, releasing her arm in favor of hopping around the forest. Adora followed wordlessly, lost in thoughts of her family in the Horde, her fantasy of reuniting with Catra, the new friends she’d met, her inexplicable connection to the sword, and the responsibility that came with it. Her head swam, and the weight of the world threatened to collapse her. She was so lost in her cyclical pattern of thought that she didn’t notice Razz had stopped walking and bumped right into her, pulling her back into the present. The landscape in front of them was desolate, dead land and ash, littered with Horde tanks. Adora felt that familiar pit of shame grow in her stomach. The Horde had raised her and they had done this. She couldn’t conflate the two. The Horde only ever created evil and cruelty, and she struggled immensely with what that made her. 

“What happened here?” She knew the answer but asked anyway. 

Razz’s eyes shone with unshed tears. “Ahh… it is the same old story dearie. Wicked people destroy what they can’t control.” 

Her words coursed through Adora, sparking a sense of understanding within her. Shadow Weaver had tried to destroy her. Catra, too. She felt an odd sort of kinship with the razed land in front of them. “They can’t just do this!” Her voice was indignant, but the devastation on her face betrayed how broken she felt. 

Razz offered the weary sigh of a woman who has seen far too much. “There was a time the princesses protected the forest. Now they stay in their castles, protecting their own lands. Meanwhile, the Horde creeps ever close.” She looked at Adora with such kindness in her eyes that it nearly broke her heart. “You’re very like my Mara, you know. Brave, loyal, but afraid.”

Adora couldn’t disagree. She’d spent the last few years of her life terrified. Now was the time to be brave, but she felt more lost than ever. “Razz… what do I do?” 

Razz chuckled good-naturedly. “No one is going to make this easy for you, dearie. You’re a smart girl, figure it out.” 

Adora gazed out at the desolate landscape in front of them. She knew what she had to do. A part of her had known since she’d first laid eyes on the sword. She just didn’t know if she had the strength to do it alone. She wanted Catra. She’d finally found the strength to leave the Horde behind, and all she wanted was to find the missing piece of herself she had lost four years ago. The sword hummed with energy in her hand, reminding her of her duty. What she wanted couldn’t be important anymore, not now that she bore the mantle of She-Ra. Her moment of silent resignation was interrupted by sounds of distress echoing around them. The horse! 

Adora charged at the source of the sound, skidding down the cliffside. Horde soldiers had captured the horse, who was fighting desperately to escape. Adora didn’t have to think. She felt her heartbeat thrumming in her chest and knew that she would be able to claim her role. She raised the sword above her head, shouting with a righteous fury that echoed throughout her body. “For the honor of Grayskull!”

The battle was over before it began. The Horde squadron was small and unprepared for an attack. She-Ra beat them back with ease, and Adora was grateful for the power the Warrior Princess granted her beyond her own strength. Had she not been distracted by concern for Razz, who had taken to beating Horde soldiers with her broom, Adora would have seen the blast that knocked her unconscious a mile away. 

As it were, however, she found herself coming to in Razz’s eclectically decorated hut with a pounding headache. She glanced around frantically, relaxing when she saw the sword propped against the wall. Outside, she could hear Madame Razz talking, presumably to herself. Adora ducked underneath the door frame, sword in hand, to find the old woman conversing pleasantly with the horse, whose soft whinnies almost sounded like he was actually responding. She couldn’t help but giggle at the sight, alerting Razz to her presence. “Ah, dearie! You’re awake. Swift Wind and I have been talking while you were asleep. He thanks you for coming to his rescue.” 

Adora glanced at the horse in front of her. “Swift Wind?”

“That’s what he prefers to be called. Also, he wanted me to make sure you know that Horsey was a stupid name.”

Adora laughed sheepishly, aware of the rising heat in her cheeks. “He, uh, already made that pretty clear. Thank you, Madame Razz. For everything.” Adora knew what she had to do now. She had a duty to uphold. Her heart ached at the thought, but she knew that Etheria needed her where Catra never had. She must go where she was needed. She could only hope that there would one day be an intersection of duty and desire that led her to Catra again. “I’m going to fight for Etheria.” She announced this to her small party with determination. Razz nodded solemnly. Swift Wind continued grazing, the only indication he had heard at all being a small flick of his ear. “Razz, will I see you again?”

“Dearie, if you need me, you can always find me.” She shuffled back into her hut, leaving Adora alone with Swift Wind. 

Adora inclined her head to the majestic creature. “Swift Wind… it’s nice to meet you. I don’t suppose you could give me a ride back to Bright Moon?” He nickered gently in response, bowing slightly so Adora could get on. She climbed carefully onto his back, giving his neck a sturdy pat when she felt secure. With a massive swoop of his wings, they were off, soaring above the canopy of the Whispering Woods. Adora cheered as they rose higher in the sky. For the first time in her life, she finally felt free. 

As they neared the castle, she guided Swift Wind to the same window she had left from that morning and stumbled gracelessly off his back and into Glimmer’s room. She stood quickly, pulling her wind-tousled mess of hair from her face, only to lock eyes with the queen. “Your highness!” She bowed quickly into an awkward curtsy, keeping her eyes trained on the floor. 

There was a moment of shock when the last thing that she could have expected happened. She felt the queen’s gentle touch on her chin, lifting her head up. “Rise, child.” Her voice was soft and lilting, and Adora stood, locking eyes with her kind gaze. Of all the things she had imagined, she’d never thought that she’d have been welcomed at Bright Moon. In the corner of her eye, Adora noticed Glimmer’s frantic pacing slow at the gesture. “My daughter has told me much about you, Adora.” At this, she nearly choked on her breath in fear. Angella continued, “I am willing to accept your presence here at Bright Moon, provided you swear loyalty to the rebellion and renounce the Horde.”

Adora nodded solemnly. “Of course, your majesty.” 

“Glimmer has also told me there is something only you can do for the rebellion, though she insists that I have to see it for myself.” 

Adora backed away from the queen, grabbing the sword. “Okay, stand back.” She held the sword aloft, waiting for the trio to give her space. “For the honor of Grayskull!” She felt the familiar shifting of her body as she grew in height and musculature. 

Glimmer stepped forward with an ecstatic smile. “Mom, meet-”

“She-Ra.” 

Adora felt a surge of relief. Angella recognized the warrior princess. “You… know her?” She shifted back into her own body. 

“I know the legend of the warrior the First Ones called She-Ra. They said she would return to us in the hour of our greatest need to bring balance to Etheria.” She took the sword Adora was offering to her, gazing wistfully at the runestone set in the hilt. “I never thought she was anything more than a myth. And yet you’re here now.” She passed the sword back to Adora, who took it gingerly from her grasp. “And a Horde deserter, no less.” 

Adora only nodded, hoping her fear wasn’t written on her face. When Glimmer took her hand with a look of concern, she knew that she wasn’t fooling anyone. “Adora, we don’t have to say you’re from the Horde. It can stay between us.” At her daughter’s words, the queen’s passive expression shifted into a slight frown. 

Adora considered the offer. She desperately wanted to take it. She knew from the queen’s expression, however, that she couldn’t. Glimmer’s hand in hers was a warm and grounding weight and Adora used it to steady herself. “No. I need to begin my relationship with the Rebellion with honesty. I want the people to feel like they can trust me. I can’t lie to them.” The queen was beaming, and Adora knew she had said the right thing. 

“Thank you, Adora. We will hold a formal celebration introducing She-Ra to Bright Moon tonight.” The queen strode elegantly out of the room to the cheering of Bow and Glimmer. 

“Adora’s second party!” 

“First Best Friends Squad Party!” 

Adora felt sick to her stomach. 

That night, Adora stood behind the close doors to the ballroom, fidgeting nervously with the hem of her sleeve. The Bright Moon tailors had worked some sort of magic and had a gorgeous dress ready for her. It was a deep crimson color and had a high neck. The sleeves were tight on her arms until they flared out at her elbows and hung low from her wrists, The dress was fitted to her torso and tightened to her waist with a thin golden belt. The soft fabric brushed the tops of her feet, and she felt incredibly awkward in the unfamiliar garment. The sound of a bell chiming through Bright Moon signalled the official start of the celebration, and thus her time to enter. She transformed into She-Ra before following the queen and her friends through the now open doors into the ballroom of Bright Moon citizens. 

Angella’s voice rang throughout the crowded room. “People of Bright Moon, it is my deepest honor to introduce you to the newest member of the Rebellion, She-Ra, Princess of Power!” Adora bowed to the ballroom, which was erupting into thunderous applause. When the din died down, Adora shifted back into herself, bowing once again to the guests. “Adora bears the Sword of Protection, and deserted the Horde at great personal cost to bring She-Ra to us.” The crowd erupted once more, this time into quiet whispers, causing Adora to wince. The queen stepped to the side, motioning Adora to step in front of the crowd. 

She cast a panicked look at Glimmer, who offered a wave and a smile of encouragement. Her knuckles were white around the hilt of the sword, but she forced herself to swallow her panic and offer the people a shaky smile. “People of Bright Moon! I assure you, my only wish is to serve you and the Princess Alliance. I have seen and felt firsthand the cruelty and evils of the Horde. I hope that my allegiance to the Rebellion can help to turn the tide of this war and beat back the Horde once and for all!” In a smooth motion, she raised the sword above her head, just as she had practiced with Bow and Glimmer. The room was dead silent for an eternity of a second before her friends began clapping and cheering, the whole of Bright Moon following close behind. Adora smiled, this time with a genuine sense of joy. 

Her introduction complete, and the party now officially begun, Bow and Glimmer were free to run up and gather Adora into a hug. She felt safe in that embrace, and warm, happy tears fell from her eyes. Just for the three of them, Glimmer whispered "Welcome to Bright Moon! For real this time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! It feels like it's taking forever until I get to write the reunion chapter but I promise it's coming! There's just gonna be a lot of pining until then.


	5. Kit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's Catra been up to?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just really wanted to write some wholesome family content before Mystacor & Princess Prom happen! I hope you like it :3

Catra paced the halls of the library, buzzing with excitement. Bow was due back for a visit today, and she’d finally made a breakthrough in her research. She’d been waiting weeks to share it with him. Writing letters was sort of George and Lance’s thing, and she much preferred speaking face to face. She’d been over the moon these past few weeks. There had been so few leads to work with, but she was finally one step closer to finally knowing more about where she’d come from. Everyone in the Horde had known the story growing up - a young Catra left in a box that a young Adora had found in the middle of the Fright Zone. She’d always wonder who had left her behind. All she really wanted to know was if they had loved her. Now, she felt closer than ever to answering the question that had been plaguing her for years. A part of her had always resented this mystery person who left her in the clutches of Shadow Weaver. At the thought, a chill ran along the thin, snaking scars that covered her body, like ice sliding down her back. Her fur covered the scars well enough that her adoptive family had never seen them, but the damage to her psyche from years of abuse had been betrayed by her flinches and the wary way she had carried herself when she’d first found them. 

The clock in the hall chimed, a charming melody indicating the early hours of the morning. She hadn’t slept that night, trying to push through on her research discovery. Were her people still alive? She’d never heard of them in the Horde, but she’d also never heard of strawberries, and those were bountiful outside of the Fright Zone. She held out hope for a reunion with her homeland. 

The huge, wooden door of the library creaked open and her ears flicked to the entrance at the sound. She recognized the sound of Bow’s footsteps as he entered, and it pulled her from her thoughts. The scent of George’s herbal tea wafted under nose and she took a deep inhale of the calming blend. Normally, she’d give Bow the morning with his dads before interrupting, but today felt especially boundless, and she leapt gracefully down several floors to find Bow in the foyer, fire already blazing in the hearth. With a mischievous grin on her face, she snagged Bow’s toast from his hand before plopping down on the couch next to him. 

“Kit!” 

“Yeah Bow?” She propped her feet up in his lap and poked him in the nose with her tail, which he promptly swatted away, before taking a huge bite of the toast, sighing with exaggerated delight. 

Bow grumbled as he fixed himself another slice, but there was no malice behind it. “What would I do without you, Kit? There’d be no one left to drive me insane.” He shoved her feet off of his lap and she acquiesced, folding her legs up under her. 

Catra only responded by sticking her tongue out before polishing off her slice of toast. “Eh, I bet one of your twelve other siblings would have found a way. Where’s George and Lance?” She was used to the pair practically shadowing Bow when he came home, but they were nowhere to be seen. 

“Kitchen,” He nodded his head in the direction of the room, that goofball smile still wide on his face. “And maybe, but I doubt anyone could be as annoying as you.” With the final word, he booped her nose, knowing how much she hated it. Catra swatted his hand away, taking a moment to study how he’d changed in the past year. There were new, small scars, she assumes from battle or testing his trick arrows. Beyond that though, he seems lighter. There’s a brilliant twinkle in his eyes that screams of renewed hope. Last year’s visit, he’d seemed almost on the edge of despair, though he’d hidden it well. Secretly, Catra hopes this means good news for the Rebellion. She even indulges herself in imagining Shadow Weaver throwing a tantrum over whatever new advantage Bright Moon had obtained. She forces herself back into the moment before she can think too much about the Horde, doing her best to stop painful memories of the life she left behind from surfacing. 

“Did they tell you about what I found?” Bow shook his head, an eager expression taking over, and Catra grinned. “Okay, so you know how Orion’s been doing research out of Silverglade? He sent back a bunch of texts that he found for George and Lance, and one of them was on Magicats” Their dads had entered and were sitting on the opposite couch, listening with Bow as if they hadn’t already heard this a dozen times over. “Everything else I’ve read has had this common figure that they called Tigris. Before I got this text, I thought that it must be the name of some God or Hero in their lore, but I think it’s more than that. I’m still not sure what it means, but I think that it’s some kind of location marker. If I can find Tigris…”

“You can find the magicats!” Bow finished her sentence for her, the excitement in the room palpable. “Kit, that’s great!” Enthusiasm practically shone out of him, and he had an expression of pride on his face that Catra was content to bask in. It reminded her of Adora, the gentle, earnest way that she’d praised her. Fuck. She couldn’t think about her. Not now. She forced herself out of it. 

“Yeah. I’ve been going over every single map of Etheria for weeks, trying to get some kind of clue as to what it means, or where their kingdom could’ve been, but I’ve got nothing.” 

“Nothing so far!” Bow corrected her. She’d missed his special brand of optimism, and she couldn’t help the smile that came to her face. 

“I’m gonna head back to the map room, give you guys some time together - Bow, walk later?” Bow nodded in response and she grinned, pushing herself up off the couch and giving her brother a pat on the head. 

Lance interjected as she walked to the staircase. “Kit, you know that’s not necessary.”

Catra only waved him off, walking lazily back to the map room. She pulled down the map she’d been studying earlier and began taking notes. She gave Bow time to spin whatever bullshit he was telling his dads about his time at the “Academy.” It was a struggle to remind herself that Bow’s dads loving him enough to believe him wasn't a weakness on their part. On the other hand, she struggled to remember that Bow lying to his dads wasn’t a sign of the cruel and manipulative nature of the Horde. He was only trying to protect them. When she’d first come to the library, she’d waited months for the other shoe to drop. It had taken weeks for her to even let anyone but Bow come close to her. Now, she couldn’t imagine her life without her small family, no matter how much she wished to share it. No, she reprimanded herself. You left her behind. You don’t get to mourn her. But the hole in her heart remained, and she threw herself into her work to escape it. 

Catra was consumed in a frankly dizzying First One’s map when she was rescued by Bow. “Hey, I figured you could use a break.” He threw a pork bun at her that she caught with ease and eagerly devoured, much to Bow’s amusement. His smile was clouded with a sudden faraway look that was gone before she could pry. 

Forcing herself to let it go, Catra stood and dusted her hands off on her pants before pulling Bow out of the map room. “Let’s go!” 

They raced each other in the woods to their typical archery spot. Catra won, of course, but found herself screeching to a halt at the sight of a stranger in her clearing. The hunched over woman perked up at her and Bow’s arrival, peering at them with large, unreadable eyes. “Ah, hello dearies!” 

Catra and Bow locked eyes in a combination of fear and downright confusion before Bow’s face twisted into a look of realization. “Wait… Madame Razz?”

Apparently Bow had gotten it right, as the woman nodded enthusiastically at them. “Are you a friend of Mara’s dearie?”

Catra remained completely flabbergasted. “You know her?”

Bow, ever the convincing liar, tried to cover his tracks. “Ummm… no?”

Normally, Catra would entertain such nonsense, but being face to face with a stranger in a place that was supposed to be just for them was ticking up her adrenaline. “Bow.”

He sensed the stern tone in her voice and conceded. “Okay, okay, fine. My friend… from the Academy… told me about her?” His voice pitched up at the end, but Catra was willing to accept the answer for now. 

Not that she had much of a choice, as the woman clutched her face in her hands, turning it back and forth. “Hmm… someone is looking for you, dearie.” 

Catra feigned nonchalance, but her blood ran cold as she extracted herself from the surprisingly strong grip. 

“Kit?”

“I dunno, she’s batshit crazy, Bow!” Catra was panicking now. 

The woman grabbed her again, peering into her eyes. “Madame Razz is not crazy! There is someone missing you, is there not?” Her eyes stared into Catra’s soul, and she felt immensely uncomfortable. 

She flinched away, skittering backwards across the clearing, desperately trying to clear any thoughts of someone who might be missing her. “No!” It came out stronger than she had intended. 

Bow, meanwhile, continued to glance between the two, clearly unsure of what, if any, action to take. “Kit, come on, she’s harmless.”

Catra elected to glare at him with venom in her eyes. “How do you know that?” 

Before Bow could answer, the woman clearly had gotten bored of the conversation, and was skittering off to the edge of the clearing. “Goodbye, Mara’s friends!” With that, she disappeared once more into the underbrush, leaving Catra and Bow alone to reckon with whatever they had just encountered. 

Catra was the first to break the silence. “Do you… know who that woman she kept talking about is? Mara?” 

Bow flushed and looked uncomfortable. “Nope! Never heard that name before!” His voice cracked several times in that one sentence, a sure sign that he was trying to hide something. 

She rolled her eyes at her idiot of a big brother. “Ugh, whatever. Let’s go shoot some stuff.” Bending over to pick her bow up off the ground, she took the opportunity to brush her tail on Bow’s arm good naturedly. 

Bow hesitated, still frozen to his spot. “Kit… there’s something that I have to tell you.” Oh Goddess. This was either going to be really stupid, or really, really bad. 

“Yeah?” Catra did her best to feign nonchalance, but she was just as frozen as he was. 

He fidgeted with his hands, shifting anxiously from foot to foot. “The Academy of Historic Enterprises isn’t exactly… real. I made it up and I joined the Rebellion and now I live in Bright Moon-and-oh-my-goddess-I-can’t-believe-I-just-told-you-that.” It was all one breath, and he nearly collapsed at the end of it. 

Catra cackled. “Oh, duh!” She was nearly bent over in laughter now, much to Bow’s dismay. 

“Duh?” 

He sounded almost affronted, and Catra forced herself to straighten. “I was practically raised on deception Bow, it’s always been easy for me to tell when someone is lying. Don’t feel bad about it.” 

“I think that’s the most you’ve ever said about how you grew up.”

Catra hummed in response. “And that’s the most you’ll ever hear.” She stuck her tongue out at him and sat down in the clearing, folding her legs and patting the grass next to her. “So, tell me more about this Rebellion of yours.”

Bow sat down next to her, folding his legs in the same manner. “We actually just recruited this princess who’s a tech genius! She’s a big name in the Etherian Makers Guild, and she even told me that she liked my trick arrows, which was great, because my friends made fun of my sonic arrow but it totally saved us from these killer robots that got out so they had to admit that I was right!”

His enthusiasm was infectious, and Catra wanted to probe further, but they were interrupted by George walking into the clearing. They hastily hid their bows in the underbrush behind them and got up, dusting their pants off. “There you guys are! Lance sent me to get you two, something about promising to help with pies?”

Bow clapped his hand on his forehead. “Shit, I forgot! You coming?” He glanced back at Catra, who offered a smile in response and followed the pair back to the library. 

The rest of the afternoon passed in a haze of baking mishaps and research chat. It only ended when the rays of the setting sun cast the library in an orange hue and Bow left in a panicked rush to return to the Academy. 

That night, Catra dreamt of Adora.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bow is my favorite himbo ever lmao. Next chapter is gonna be Mystacor and then Princess Prom, so Adora's gonna be having a Rough Time. I probably won't do anymore Catra content until Reunion, just because her life is pretty peaceful and uneventful. Also, my posting schedule is gonna be bonkers for a while because I'm starting 12 hour clinicals tomorrow!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is the first fic I've written in like 7 or 8 years, but this idea popped into my head and I just couldn't get it out. I really hope you enjoy! I'm not sure what my update schedule will be like yet, I'll definitely post that as soon as I figure it out. I have a few ideas for future fics bouncing around the ol' noggin, so hopefully when this is done I'll write some more!


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